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james_davis_nicoll

Beware of smooth-talking hustlers, frauds, scammers, and charlatans!

Five Books About Imposters, Swindlers, and Con Artists

rebeccmeister

Yesterday was Commencement. This year's ceremony was around 4.5 hours long, around 2 hours of which consisted of the reading out of every graduate's name as each graduate walked across the stage. This was our largest-ever class so it was just going to take a while no matter what.

I tried to get as many chores done ahead of time as I could, including baking scones and a quiche for breakfasts for the week:

By midafternoon, I was tired from the chores hustle plus commencement plus the 4 miles of walking to get to commencement and back. While my cardiovascular fitness is pretty good, I can't say the same for my walking stamina!

But the chores weren't all done, and I also wanted to tackle some time-sensitive garden projects.

At the top of the list was harvesting out as much chocolate peppermint as I could. Here's what the main garden bed looked like after I harvested:

The peppermint and the strawberries compete with each other, so I figured this would both yield a bunch of leaves for tea, and try to ensure the strawberry plants get a bit more sun.

I suspect that younger, more tender chocolate peppermint leaves may taste more delicious. I will probably wind up doing a series of experiments (ahem, experimints) to dial in my chocolate peppermint tea recipe. But I've got to start somewhere, right?

I soaked the clippings to get them cleaned off, gave them a whirl in the salad spinner, then put them in the dehydrator overnight. As of this morning, the leaf tips still aren't entirely dry. But that means they should be dry by this afternoon/evening, ready for the next step, which will involve misting them with chocolate extract.

I still have some of the Stash tea remaining in my office, so I can eventually do a direct taste test comparison. Stash also augments the chocolate flavor, so we'll see if my homemade methods compare.

After the mint harvest, I got out Mr. Chippy to see how it behaved, and chipped down the entire older pile of twigs. Some of the stuff in that pile had been there for over 2 years! It felt really good to clear that whole area out, especially because some of the Evil Vines were starting to grow back in among the twigs (ripped out on the lower right of this photo). Left to their own devices, the Evil Vines will climb all the way up the side of the house, providing entry points for any and all mice that want to try their luck indoors.

And just look at this glorious tub of mulch!

I will probably actually use this bin's contents as mulch around the shrubs out front. That can only help with suppression of evil vines out there.

Because...here's the next pile of clippings to shred, from pruning the shrubs last weekend:

The next batch of chips will probably mostly just get set aside as compost and worm bin additives.

--

I tried to get up and go rowing this morning, but failed. The lymph nodes in my throat felt a touch swollen, and I still felt tired from the weekend, and those are my excuses and I'm sticking with them. If the exposure to 4,000 people yesterday means I'm coming down with something, better to rest. And if I'm not coming down with something, well, better to not get even more run down via overexertion.

Skipping rowing did mean I could finish up some lingering weekend household chores (namely, vacuuming and cleaning the sink) and tackle a couple more garden projects.

One project is getting the soaker hose system set up again. Here are the irises in the side bed, saying hello and that it's about time to get hoses going.

Much to my amazement, I managed to find the roll of teflon tape to wrap the hose connections!

But to my dismay...when I turned this faucet on, I found that there is water leaking out of that silver cap on the top.

That cap actually kind of looks like it's constructed to fail in the case of water freezing in the line, which is something that might have happened. I was pretty sure I turned the water off in January, but when I went to test the faucet a week or two ago, I discovered that water was still running to it. Argh!

Aside from that, I also just noticed yesterday that the Dark Dahlia would like to have my attention for a moment, please:

That means it has successfully survived the winter, hooray! I wasn't sure it would, because I only got to dig it out in late December, and I don't know how much cold it had to survive prior to that.

I put it back in its customary spot, next to the sunny promiscuous rhubarbs:

Dark dahlia now planted and fertilized with compost

I also played Compost Fairy with the rest of the compost I harvested out last weekend. Always fun. Hopefully the compost gives the strawberries an extra boost!

Last but not least, check out this luscious lettuce!

Today is day 1 of Homegrown Lettuce on Sandwiches Season. Yum!

When I was shredding, I also noted that we've got a woodchuck again, in a burrow back behind the garbage cans. S reminded me that a woodchuck previously DECIMATED our lettuce boxes at one point. So I'd better get those lettuce cages secured on sooner rather than later...

Saturday was also Flip the Switches on the Ceiling Fans Day. Temperatures cooled off again as of last night, but these things are all lovely signs of the changing seasons. Summah in Upstate New York!

althea_valara posting in

beautifulmechanical

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https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tumlinger-pa-livets-vej-tumblers-on-lifes-path

All four 'Tumblers on Life´s Path' in order, left to right.

Like giant toy tumblers, Bjørn Nørgaard’s sculpture group, Tumlinger på livets vej ('Tumblers on Life’s Path'), offers a playful, vivid take on the experience of life. Four distinct characters stand in a row in Copenhagen, each representing different age groups: childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age. With outstretched arms and jester-like hats, the characters aim for “gold,” symbolizing their shared pursuit of meaning.

Each sculpture is adorned with motifs corresponding to its life stage. The youthful figure, for instance, reflects adolescence, with budding sexuality and emblems of modern culture like music and digital devices. In contrast, the elderly character incorporates a cross and a resting body, serving as a poignant reminder of mortality and life’s final chapter. These details enhance the whimsical installation.

The choice of materials—bronze, stainless steel, alpaca, and transparent glass—further amplifies these themes. While gleaming metal surfaces convey strength, the delicate glass heads evoke fragility. Nørgaard’s work invites reflection on the joys and challenges of each stage while acknowledging life’s fleeting nature.

Commissioned by a Danish pension company and placed along a well-trafficked commuter route, the tumblers transform a utilitarian, urban stretch, offering a visual break amid the daily grind.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tumlinger-pa-livets-vej-tumblers-on-lifes-path

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Posted by Sarah

https://reactormag.com/five-books-about-imposters-swindlers-and-con-artists/

https://reactormag.com/?p=814335

Books Five Books

Five Books About Imposters, Swindlers, and Con Artists

Beware of smooth-talking hustlers, frauds, scammers, and charlatans!

By James Davis Nicoll

Published on May 19, 2025

Going Postal cover art by Paul Kidby

Detail from the cover of Going Postal; art by Paul Kidby

Going Postal cover art by Paul Kidby

Truth is so often inconvenient, particularly for enterprising individuals intent on taking money from other people’s pockets and putting it into their own. In such cases, it’s only reasonable to replace cruel truth with a version of the facts that would have been the case if only providence had been more considerate.

Such schemes do make for good plots. Herewith, five such works:

Oliver VII by Antal Szerb (1942)

Thanks to the bold modernization program mandated by Alturia’s late King Simon II, Alturia is on the brink of economic and political disaster. Worse, the proposed arranged marriage between Simon’s son, Oliver VII, and Princess Ortrud of Norlandia, which was to have saved the troubled kingdom, only inflamed public anger. Revolutionary fervor is rife.

The Nameless Captain’s bloodless coup is swift and efficient, a usurpation greatly aided by the fact Oliver VII is the Nameless Captain. Freed from the monarchy, Oliver can reinvent himself as Oscar the (not especially successful) con man. Fortune smiles on Oscar. Illicit wealth could be his… if he can somehow pass himself off as King Oliver VII. Whoever that is.

Oliver VII is not as well known in l’anglosphere as it should be for a number of reasons. The author died young, murdered by Nazis. The novel was not translated from Hungarian into English until Len Rix’s 2007 translation. Pity, because Oliver VII is quite funny.

The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens by L. Sprague de Camp (1953)

Cover of The Continent Makers by L. Sprague de Camp

The Interplanetary Council regulates technological transfer, thus ensuring that warlike societies on worlds such as Krishna, Vishnu, and Kukulkan do not prematurely obtain nuclear weapons and starships. The Council is less effective at protecting worlds such as Krishna, Vishnu, and Kukulkan from Earth’s many truth-adjusting entrepreneurs.

Not every ambitious Terrestrial featured in this collection is a confidence agent. There are legitimate salesmen, not to mention the odd honest functionary. However, neither Felix Borel or repeat protagonist Darius Koshay are in any way inhibited by truth or honesty… or really, anything but the profit motive.

Of particular note: Borel’s defense against accusations that he broke the technological transfer embargo regulations is that he was selling a perpetual motion machine and since those are impossible, he was simply bilking gullible Krishnans. As Krishnans are a proud, violent people, Borel’s choice of career was very bold.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (2004)

Cover of Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Moist von Lipwig’s talent for remunerative prevarication wins Moist a personal audience with Vetinari, Patrician of Ankh-Morpork. By rights, Moist should be hanged. Luckily for Moist, the Patrician’s need for a person with a very specific set of skills is greater than his need to make an example of a habitual con man.

Newly appointed Postmaster von Lipwig soon discovers that the Postal Service is run down, poorly staffed, underfunded, and opposed by powerful interests who murdered previous postmasters. Flight is not an option, thanks to von Lipwig’s ever-present parole officer, Mr. Pump. Von Lipwig’s new task may simply be an ornate death sentence by other means.

Going Postal made this list for two reasons. One, I am sure readers would have been outraged had it been omitted¹. Two, Mr. Pump’s memorable diatribe about the human costs of von Lipwig’s “non-violent” crimes:

You Have Stolen, Embezzled, Defrauded, And Swindled Without Discrimination, Mr. Lipwig. You Have Ruined Business And Destroyed Jobs. When Banks Fail, It Is Seldom Bankers Who Starve. Your Actions Have Taken Money From Those Who Had Little Enough To Begin With. In A Myriad Small Ways You Have Hastened The Deaths Of Many. You Did Not Know Them. You Did Not See Them Bleed. But You Snatched Food From Their Mouths And Tore Clothes From Their Backs. For Sport, Mr. Lipwig. For Sport. For The Joy Of The Game.

The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter (2022)

Cover of The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter

The Morwood family’s vanity and comprehensive dysfunction have grown without bounds because the Morwoods can evade consequences thanks to wealth, power, and reclusiveness. That wealth allows the Morwoods to entice skilled workers to their isolated estate. The latest arrival is governess Asher Todd.

Asher’s credentials are as glowing as they are fraudulent. Asher is a witch wearing a dead woman’s face. While her purpose in accepting the position might be said to be educational, the education she intends to provide is not the one the Morwoods had in mind when they hired her. Revelations await!

The Morwoods are terrible at many commonplace tasks, thus the need for servants. As the novel makes clear, they are exceptionally good at turning their offspring into more Morwoods… which raises a question. Will Asher will see her youthful charges as innocents to be saved from corruption? Or see them as Morwoods who are only not guilty of terrible transgressions for the sole reason that they haven’t yet had sufficient time to commit them?

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang (2023)

Cover of Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

Desperate to earn enough money to buy her way back into the US that has closed its borders and considers her an undesirable, an unnamed Chinese American chef pads her CV in a bid to win a lucrative position with a wealthy oligarch. Lies win the chef an interview. The chef’s cooking skills pass muster. Financial security seems guaranteed.

But the oligarch is not quite the dupe he appears. The skill he needs is prevarication, not cooking. The oligarch needs an Asian woman to pose as his missing wife Eun-Young, which will keep wealthy investors complacent. The plan can hardly go wrong…

Unforeseen complications ensue.

Readers might wonder whether the investors, whose good will is dependent on their faith in visionary Eun-Young, would notice that Eun-Young has been replaced by someone who does not look like Eun-Young. They will not, the novel assures us, because they are as racist as they are rich and cannot tell Asian women apart.

Confidence agents being so very plot-friendly, they abound in science fiction and fantasy. No doubt you have favourites I’ve missed. If so, please mention them in comments below.[end-mark]

I reserve the right to get quite cross if someone, not having read past the title, berates me for not mentioning Going Postal. ︎

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Posted by Not Always Right

https://notalwaysright.com/getting-sicker-of-the-city-slicker/374032/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=374032

Read Getting Sicker Of The City Slicker

Transfer: "It's five minutes to close! Why aren't we making any closing announcements?"
Me: "Uh… there are no customers in the store."
Transfer: "How can you be sure?!"
Me: "It's five aisles and I can see them all from here."

Read Getting Sicker Of The City Slicker

https://notalwaysright.com/getting-sicker-of-the-city-slicker/374032/

https://notalwaysright.com/?p=374032

runpunkrun

New Year market
  shopping around
   for incense sticks
     -1687

Translation by David Young.

( 俳句 )

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Posted by Sarah

https://reactormag.com/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-the-octopus/

https://reactormag.com/?p=814465

Column SFF Bestiary

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Octopus

We may never truly or completely understand the octopus — and that’s what makes it so fascinating.

By Judith Tarr

Published on May 19, 2025

Cover of Octopus! by Katherine Harmon Courage

Kathleen Harmon Courage’s 2013 book, Octopus!, subtitled The Most Mysterious Creature in the Sea, is no relation to the 2025 documentary of the same name. It touches on some of the same themes, but it goes in a somewhat different direction. As a work of prose nonfiction, it can delve deeper into the facts and the science, and it does exactly that. It’s extensively researched and compulsively readable.

Courage begins with an expedition to one of the hubs of octopus fishing in the world, Vigo in Galicia, Spain. She calls it “the epicenter of octopuses.” It’s not only a major fishery in its own right but also a major processing center for octopus fisheries elsewhere—and a center for the scientific study of cephalopods. There is, she makes sure to tell us (with photo), a statue of Jules Verne there, though the cephalopods in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas are squid.

She focuses on the octopus as food for humans, in its historical context and as it’s happening around about the year 2012. We’re treated to a recipe for the local delicacy, Pulpo a Feira, a festival dish of octopus, potatoes, paprika, and salt. It’s delicious, she says.

No qualms here about eating a sentient creature. We’ll see more recipes and more discussion of the culinary uses of the octopus as she travels around the coasts of Europe and the Americas, with references to Japanese and Korean specialties. She’s particularly fascinated by Korean-style octopus, Sannakji, aka “live” octopus, as prepared by Sik Gaek restaurant in New York. It’s an illustration of a point, that the octopus has a notable amount of brain power in each of its arms as well as in its main brain.

Sannakji consists of freshly killed octopus arms cut up a la sashimi, on lettuce with sliced raw garlic, green onions, jalapenos, and a couple of dipping sauces. Eating it involves wrestling with the actively wiggling segments and the very sticky suckers. Again, she says, it’s delicious. She obsesses over it for days after.

It was the most intimate dining experience I’ve ever had. Although for the poor octopus it was not the best of times, to me, it felt almost as if we shared the dining experience.

She is in fact obsessed with the octopus in all of its manifestations. She hunts it, eats it, talks to people who study it both for its own sake, as biologists, and for its uses to the military and to the science of robotics. The octopus for her is more than a scientific curiosity. She’s particularly interested in what it can do for humans.

Humans have a tendency to make everything about them. We see it in the documentary, too. The marine biologist gets an octopus tattoo and makes an octopus quilt. The writer sees in the female octopus’ breeding cycle a reflection of their relationship with their own mother.

Courage wants to learn everything she can about this fascinating and mysterious creature. Mysterious for many reasons. Its weird anatomy and physiology by human standards. Its short life and, in human terms, tragic reproductive cycle. And above all, the difficulty of studying it.

It’s not just that an animal with blue blood, three hearts, eight semi-autonomous arms lined with suckers that can each act individually and smell and taste, a superpower-level gift of disguise, and no apparent social life or parental nurture, is pretty much the opposite of everything a human is. We can’t truly imagine how it lives in its world or how it thinks. We also face serious challenges in getting it to cooperate.

First we have to find it, and then we have to identify that we find. That means mounting lengthy and expensive expeditions to the oceans of the world. Once we get there, we have to track down an animal that can disguise itself as anything from a rock to a sea snake. That hides in spaces inaccessible to humans, though we might find evidence of it in the “garden” of its cast-off prey. That may look completely different in its larval form, and that may be so sexually dimorphic that, as with the blanket octopus, the female is huge and blanket-like and the male is a tiny little nubbin of a thing that doesn’t even look like the same species.

Once we find it, we have to keep it. An octopus can not only ooze through minuscule gaps in any trap we may build, its arms are strong enough to lift a locked lid or pull the trap apart. (Though that being said, Galician fishermen catch octopuses in baited creels that rely on the animal’s tropism toward dark enclosed spaces. Once they’re in, as long as they have something to eat, they’re not interested in leaving—no need to block their exit.) It can easily escape an aquarium and either go hunting in another nearby or find its way outside. This often is fatal for the octopus, since they can’t survive out of water for very long. But that doesn’t stop them from trying.

Once that obstacle has been overcome, we still have to deal with the fact that the octopus is a fantastically uncooperative research subject. Anything you put on it, it can and will pull off. It’s extremely difficult to immobilize without killing it. Everything is wiggly and wriggly and at the same time, as far as we can tell, insatiably curious. It wants to check you out. And pull you apart. And eat you.

It’s also very difficult to breed in captivity. You can get a male and a female together and she may produce eggs, but once those eggs hatch, they need far more space than a lab or even a commercial farming operation can offer. The hatchlings need live food, which will as likely be each other as whatever you try to feed them, and they grow at a phenomenal rate. The only really effective way to obtain them is to capture them in the wild. Which circles back around to the problem of how to find and keep them (either for research or for eating).

It also presents a problem for taxonomy—for identifying and studying the many species of octopus. Not only the difficulty of finding students willing or able to devote time to classifying the hundreds of known species, but also the nature of the animal itself.

“They are a very difficult group of animals to clinically describe,” Eric Hochberg says, not in the least because they’re so malleable in their shapes and colors. So that means looking a little more closely than you might have to for a bird.

Big-time understatement there.

Still, in Courage’s view, octopuses are worth it for what they can do for us. She lists some of the options. Engineering and robotics—a whole new concept of the robot, soft rather than hard, infinitely flexible, with semi-autonomous limbs. Pharmacology, especially the composition of its venom and its possible use in painkillers. Neurochemistry. Design and control of an artificial brain. The art and science of disguise, from color-changing fabrics to cloaking devices. Explorations of cognition, the nature of consciousness, the range of perception in an animal that lives in a truly alien environment by human standards.

We may never truly or completely understand the octopus. And that’s what makes it so fascinating. She describes it at both the beginning and the end of the book, in the words of filmmaker Jean Painlevé, as “a joyous confusion of the mysterious, the unknown, and the miraculous.”[end-mark]

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malurette

Title: Can't spell treason without tea (Tomes & Tea t1)
Author: Rebecca Thorne
Language: English
Type: novel
Genre: cosy fantasy

1st release: 2022
Publisher: looks self published?
Length: 435 pages

( Read more... )

The A-plot is over but the B-plot with dragons continues for a few more books!
I've already pirated the second one and am considering buying it directly after all 'cause there's a very good chance i'll enjoy it and i'd like it better in physical form.

Une ex-garde royal et une puissante mage décident de s'enfuir ensemble pour ouvrir une librairie-salon de thé ! yay!!
...le problème si c'est auto-édité c'est que ça va être compliqué de trouver une traduction pour mes amis
qui pratiquent bien moins l'anglais ; zut de flûte.

highlyeccentric

Upon my rolling to-do list is laid the burden of "listening post", and due to my inconsistency in the past Quite Some Time, my meta-thoughts will accept any contribution.

Therefore, please consider: my new favourite song:

Watch on YouTube

Now, be it noted that when I first saw the album title "Land Shanties" I was not endeared, I was annoyed, not even first because I know the difference between a true shanty and a capstan shanty/sea song/etc. I am in fact QUITE liberal about that, including enthusiasm for, eg, music-hall songs which may or may not have transitioned to sea-songs, as in Shores of Botany Bay / Good Ship Ragamuffin, the total illegitimacy of which can be confirmed by the fact that it has two names and each name has a better-known song with the same name and neither of those is a shanty.

No, friends: I am ENTHUSED by non-shanties. But I was suspicious of "land shanties" in a significant part because I know of so many shearing, droving, etc songs which are either *actually work songs* closely related to the narrowest definition of shanty, or ballad-type songs with a high overlap.

GOOD NEWS: I was wrong!

"The Lady of the Map" is a banger and expresses my feelings toward GPS entirely.

ALSO it turns out that if you give me music venue speakers such that I can't keep track of what /I/ sound like, I... have chest voice. Do I think I'm in tune? No, but we're talking about FAMILIAR arrangements. Surround me such that I cannot hear myself and suddenly I have a chest voice I haven't heard since 2022 - AND if the band are in front of me I can identify exactly who I think I'm following (badly, perhaps, but nevertheless).

ME: HOLY SHIT I'M NOT A TENOR

My Second Thoughts: Well no fucking shit. We SAW Great Big Sea in 2012 and we HAD this realisation. You're no Sean McCann.

My quibbles: but... I feel like the reason I remember dwelling on Sean or Alan is that I couldn't keep up with EITHER of them when they were showing off their tenor range, and also sometimes when Alan led I knew I ought to follow Sean...

Exactly one concert of data, different band: ... oho. JD has an amazing range (his party trick appears to be shifting down an octave, whereupon Andy will have the vapours). But there are times where Robin (madcap mid-range vocalist, why yes I have a type) is leading but I instinctively gravitate to the higher support line. But as per my second thoughts I... believe I am gravitating to the lower support line, now. I previously had difficulty distingishing Alan Doyle and Sean McCann: with that knowledge, I can confirm that I have NOT had difficulty distinguishing JD and Robin; that difficulty is now all on the lower end of the range.

Refer back to: my interest in bluegrass harmonics. It is possible that Hanging Out With Choirs has kind of skewed me here.

However what is most discombobulatingly imporant is: I ... have chest range. Can I use it? not really. Is it in tune? Definitely not. Did I sing along and have the _felt_ experience of at LEAST getting back the chest range I lost, maybe more? Oh hell yes I did.

I have MANY musical thoughts (see above) but I suspect that the thing to actually do is to sing "drunken sailor" a lot, and look for youtube arrangement instructions for drunken sailor, etc.

There is a whole other story about well-intentioned lavatory signage gone wrong, in this case, overlaid over actually shockingly IDEAL actual toilet layout. Whole other update about that later.

daryl_wor

That works, I think, a good collective combination. Old School!

Current Mood: hopeful
Current Location: home
Current Music: soundtrack

osprey_archer

I’ve read Sarah Orne Jewett’s short story “A White Heron” before, but when I saw that Barbara Cooney had illustrated it, of course I had to pick it up. Sarah Orne Jewett was a writer of the “local color” school famous for her works set in Maine, while Barbara Cooney was an illustrator who spent her childhood summers in Maine and eventually settled there.

The pairing is propitious. Cooney draws out the twilight loveliness of Jewett’s story, Sylvia driving the cow home in the dusk, meeting a young man in the woods who is hunting birds for his collection, rising before dawn to climb the highest tree in the forest to seek out the home of the rare white heron for him… standing near the top of the tree, gazing out over the treetops to the vast sea “with the dawning sun making a golden dazzle over it,” and the birds flying below her. Hawks, sparrows, and the heron itself, which perches on a bough of Sylvia’s own pine tree.

But though the text describes the heron perching, in the pictures it is always shown in flight.

In the illustrator’s note at the back, Cooney notes that she wanted to capture “the superimposed layers of countryside and trees separated by rising mists or incoming fogs… something like an ethereal Japanese screen,” and YES, that is exactly the feeling that her landscape images often give. It’s especially present in this book in the last large picture, four shouting catbirds perched on a branch that spreads across the top of two pages, and in the misty distance below soft gray pines… and a few sharp black pines closer… and the white heron flying past.

I feel that this comment has unlocked something that I’ve responded to in Cooney’s illustrations without ever putting a name to it. I want to revisit some of my favorites now and trace this Japanese influence in her work.

minoanmiss

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https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/holdsveikraspitalinn-i-laugarnesi

The remains are only a tiny part of the once large hospital.

For centuries, Iceland was plagued with a nationwide pandemic: leprosy.

In 1898, a law was passed stipulating that people with leprosy had to be isolated from the rest of the population. Those afflicted with the disease were committed to the hospital in Laugarnes.

The Holdsveikraspítalinn í Laugarnesi was a gift to the people of Iceland from the Oddfellow Order of Denmark, given in 1898. The building was a two-story timber construction which was able to house 30 male and 30 female patients. There was also a house for the doctor and rooms for other staff.

The first two recorded patients were an 11-year-old boy and a 62-year-old man. Both were admitted on October 10, 1898, and went on to live out the rest of their days at the hospital.

Over the next 42 years, 210 patients were admitted to the hospital: 131 men and 79 women. Three of the hospital's patients stayed for the duration of the hospital's operation, while 26 lived there for over 20 years.

Holdsveikraspítalinn í Laugarnesi made many contributions to medical advancements in Iceland. The first nursing school in the country was founded and operated from here. The hospital was also a driving force in leprosy research.

British troops took over the property in June 1940, and the hospital residents were relocated. On April 7, 1943, while still being used by the British troops, the building caught fire and burnt to the ground, leaving only the foundation. The ankle-high walls currently visible are only a small percentage of the once grand hospital, representing only one wing of the building.

The fight against leprosy in Iceland was "won" in 1979 when the last leprosy patient passed away.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/holdsveikraspitalinn-i-laugarnesi

prettygoodword

cwtch or cwtsh or cootch (KUCH, KOOCH) - n., a hiding place, such as a cupboard or a cubbyhole; a hug, a cuddle. v., (often followed by up) to hug, cuddle, embrace, or comfort.

Yes, w can indeed be a vowel, if the word was taken from Welsh -- and given that origin, you won't be surprised to hear that this is SE UK dialect. The extra fun part is that, this entered English (around 1890) from Welsh cwtsh, the Welsh word was taken from Middle English couche, now spelled couch.

---L.

james_davis_nicoll

1997: The UK wins Eurovision, the BBC foolishly embraces that passing fad known as the internet, and Tony Blair wins a razor-thin 179 seat majority.

Poll #33137 Clarke Award Finalists 1997

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13

View Respondents

Which 1997 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh
3 (23.1%)

Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
8 (61.5%)

Gibbon's Decline and Fall by Sheri S. Tepper
4 (30.8%)

Looking for the Mahdi by N. Lee Wood
2 (15.4%)

The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt
2 (15.4%)

Voyage by Stephen Baxter
1 (7.7%)

Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.

Which 1997 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh
Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
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Posted by Drew McCaffrey

https://reactormag.com/wind-and-truth-reread-chapters-63-and-64/

https://reactormag.com/?p=814235

Books Wind and Truth Reread

Wind and Truth Reread: Chapters 63 and 64

The Oathpact is forged, but not all is as it seems…

By Paige Vest, Lyndsey Luther, Drew McCaffrey

Published on May 19, 2025

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Posted by Drew McCaffrey<a href="https://reactormag.com/wind-and-truth-reread-chapters-63-and-64/">https://reactormag.com/wind-and-truth-reread-chapters-63-and-64/</a><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=814235">https://reactormag.com/?p=814235</a><post-hero class="wp-block-post-hero js-post-hero post-hero post-hero-vertical"> <div class="container container-desktop"> <div class="flex flex-col mx-auto post-hero-container"> <div class="post-hero-content"> <div class="post-hero-tags font-aktiv text-xs tracking-[0.5px] font-medium uppercase"> <a href="https://reactormag.com/articles/books/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Books 0"> Books </a> <a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/wind-and-truth-reread/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Wind and Truth Reread 1"> Wind and Truth Reread </a> </div> <h2 class="post-hero-title text-h1">Wind and Truth Reread: Chapters 63 and 64</h2> <div class="prose post-hero-description prose--post-hero">The Oathpact is forged, but not all is as it seems…</div> <div class="post-hero-wrapper"> <div class="post-hero-inner"> By <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/paige-vest/" title="Posts by Paige Vest" class="author url fn" rel="author">Paige Vest</a>, <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/lyndsey-luther/" title="Posts by Lyndsey Luther" class="author url fn" rel="author">Lyndsey Luther</a>, <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/drew-mccaffrey/" title="Posts by Drew McCaffrey" class="author url fn" rel="author">Drew McCaffrey</a> | Published on May 19, 2025 </div> </div> <div class="quick-access post-hero-quick-access mt-[17px] tablet:hidden"> <div class="flex gap-[30px] tablet:gap-6"> <a href="https://reactormag.com/wind-and-truth-reread-chapters-63-and-64/#comments" class="flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase translate-x-[1px] translate-y-[1px]"> <svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewbox="0 0 18 18" 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href="https://reactormag.com/feed/" target="_blank" title="RSS Feed"> <svg class="w-[17px] h-[17px]" width="18" height="18" viewbox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="rss feed" role="img" aria-hidden="true"> <g clip-path="url(#clip0_1051_121783)"> <path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 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7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" /> </g> <defs> <clippath id="clip0_1051_121783"> <rect width="17" height="17" fill="white" transform="translate(0.678711 0.414307)" /> </clippath> </defs> </svg> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </details> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-hero-media "> <figure class="w-full h-auto post-hero-image"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="407" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/wind-and-truth-reread-header-740x407.png" class="w-full object-cover" alt="Cover of Brandon Sanderson's Wind and Truth" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/wind-and-truth-reread-header-740x407.png 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/wind-and-truth-reread-header-1100x605.png 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/wind-and-truth-reread-header-768x422.png 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/wind-and-truth-reread-header.png 1400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </post-hero> <div class="wp-block-more-from-category"> <div> </div> </div> Hello all, and welcome back to the Wind and Truth reread! This week, we’re discussing chapters 63 and 64, which involve some very quick cuts between different POVs. We’ve got Renarin, Dalinar, Navani, and—surprise!—Shallan witnessing (and taking part in) the Oathpact, while Sigzil and Adolin engage in frenzied battle on their respective fronts; we also check in with Kaladin, whose attempts to help Szeth are having some effect… but not in the ways he’d hoped. The book has been out long enough that most of you will hopefully have finished, and as such, this series shall now function as a re-read rather than a read-along. That means there will be spoilers for the end of the book (as well as full Cosmere spoilers, so beware if you aren’t caught up on all Cosmere content). We’d also like to issue a content warning, given the discussion of suicide in this section of the novel, which we touch on in Paige and Lyn’s parts of the reread. <div style="height:10px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>Paige’s Commentary: Plot Arcs</h3> Happy Monday, Sanderfans! It’s a whirlwind this week so let’s dive right in! Chapter 63 is titled “One Way Forward” and opens on Renarin, trapped in a vision, not knowing what to say in response to Jezrien’s questions. Of course, this isn’t a new feeling for him, but he hates it—he never knows what to say or do, and he always feels out of place. I don’t face the same struggles as Renarin, but I know this feeling well: wanting to belong but never feeling as if I really do. Wanting to please everyone but, again, never feeling as if I really do. Thinking that I’m not enough, I’m not doing it right or saying it right. I feel those feels, Renarin! Then Glys speaks to Renarin and tells him what to say, following the script from the original Oathpact meeting and feeding him the correct lines. He likes this feeling of being supplied with the right answers and not having to speak for himself, but Glys is troubled by this, saying there’s no room for individuality or spontaneity. (Those things are hard for people with anxiety, Glys!) When Renarin sees Navani and Gav—who speaks out of turn, not knowing any better—he wonders if the Ghostbloods will say the wrong things or if they’re like him, with a spren whispering into their, umm… brains. POV SWITCH! Sigzil is with some Stonewards, fighting the thunderclast Kai-garnis, though I’m not sure how he knows its name. Wait. Her name. How does he know the thunderclast is a she? Anyone want to enlighten me? They manage to put her down, but her body forms a bridge from the other plateau and Fused are able to access Narak 4. They try to hold as it’s only day 5 and they must protect Narak 2 as it holds the Oathgate. The fighting is fierce and then we get to see some excellent action when a Stoneward called the Stormwall—what a cool name, right?—shows up and unleashes some badassery on the Fused. Then Sigzil takes out a Focused One in spectacular fashion, which rallies the rest of the troops. Leyten relays a message indicating there’s something odd happening on another plateau, so off Sig goes to check. POV SWITCH! We spend just a moment with Dalinar in the vision, smoothing over Gav’s odd comments, and we hear a bit of info about Vedel and her people. Dalinar observes that her mannerisms look familiar but then Tanavast shows up and Dalinar knows that the forming of the Oathpact is close. But still no Taln… POV SWITCH! Adolin! Woo-hoo! Not that I favor Adolin POVs or anything… ::ahem:: He fairly leaps into his armor ::foreshadowing:: and learns that Kushkam thinks the singers will try to down a Shardbearer today, so he sends thanks for the warning and enters the dome. The enemy begin to back off when he enters the area, giving him confidence, until they suddenly surge forward with a couple dozen Direforms in order to surround Adolin. He dominates the fight with his Shardhammer but then suddenly hears an oddly familiar voice in his ear telling him that the other Shardbearer is down on the opposite side of the dome. Adolin finds himself flanked so that he can’t go to the rescue of the Azish Shardbearer, so what does he do? Come on… this is Adolin. He charges forward, of course! Right through the center of the enemy bunker where the Oathgate is. Some of his honor guard stay with him and the voice tells him that the Shardbearer is still alive. Then Adolin recognizes the speaker as Notum and realizes that Maya’s excursion was successful. Notun says he’ll explain after. So Adolin continues forward, the son of the Blackthorn, fighting on even after damaging his Shardhammer. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Don’t stop moving. Don’t let them respond; only let them react. Don’t let them plan, only let them panic. Don’t let them see you as anything other than a terrible force. Make them avoid you at all costs.</blockquote></figure> Geez, Adolin can be scary when he’s all Shardplated up and going for the jugular. But he’s got to save the Azish Shardbearer, else the enemy will capture the Plate, leaving Adolin to spend the rest of the battle fighting a singer Shardbearer. He breaks out of the dome on the other side and Notum speeds ahead, circling the place where the Azish Shardbearer, Neziham, has fallen and is still fighting on his back, sweeping at the enemies’ legs with his Blade. A direform crushes Neziham’s helmet and it’s clear that if it hits him again, it will kill him. Adolin roars, shocking and terrifying the defenders who were definitely not expecting him to show up there. He kills a direform and then, since he doesn’t have his Shardhammer any longer, takes the dead Regal and starts swinging it around like a weapon. As one would expect with such a tactic, he’s eventually left swinging only a leg. Gruesome stuff, Brandon! Loving it! The enemy breaks, completely demoralized at this turn of events and the brutality of Adolin’s attack. All of them retreat, except for one Heavenly One: Abidi the Monarch, who calls Adolin a Radiant. He thinks he is hiding his powers. No, Monarch, he’s just a badass! Abidi knows who Adolin is, but instead of engaging him, he retreats with the rest of the enemy troops. Adolin, helping Neziham, realizes that one member of his honor guard, the Thaylen, Hmask, is still with him. Love Hmask! Turning to Notum, Adolin tells the spren it’s time to chat. Chapter 64 is titled “To Hold Back the Darkness” and we open on Navani, who is seen in the form of Wit/Midius in this vision. She’s having a minor freakout because Tanavast has just showed up. ***God had just appeared.*** And so Tanavast and the soon-to-be Heralds begin discussing how they’re going to do what they’re planning to do in forming the Oathpact. Navani is blissful, watching it as it happens though it is nothing close to what she had always imagined it would be like. Ishar begins a bond with them all and Jezrien is the first to swear an oath to Honor, stating that he will hold back the darkness. They each, in turn, swear an oath and Ishar Connects them. Once eight have sworn, only leaving Ishar to close the circle, and Tanavast turns to Wit (actually Navani), calling him “old friend” and asking him to join them, stating that Wit was the only one who showed an ounce of wisdom on that day. Navani tries to think of something Wit-ty but, in the end, can only reply, “I can’t, I really can’t.” She tells Tanavast to pick another. Nale thinks they need someone who is not a king or scholar and says that he has a recommendation. Aaaanndd… POV SHIFT! Grrr… But it’s Kaladin! It’s raining and he’s thinking of the story of Fleet as they head toward the next monastery. Szeth is closed off and Kaladin begins to feel his thoughts turn dark before he realizes that this rain is like the Weeping, and that he’d always had a rough time during the Weeping. He thinks of Tien and is able to smile. Then Szeth speaks up, saying that Kaladin’s suggestions about his thoughts have been helping. And he says thank you! Whaaaat? Kaladin reminds Szeth that it’s not an easy fix and will take working at it daily. Then Kal says how alike they are, but Szeth disagrees, telling Kaladin that he does his job while Kaladin always questions his. Then… oh, storms, then Szeth says that Kaladin’s words have merit and that perhaps he, Szeth, will take them as law. Whoa, there. What? Kaladin says he’s not there to get Szeth to follow him, but to convince him to follow his own conscience. And with a perfectly straight face, Szeth says that his conscience tells him not to trust his conscience. Again… what? Szeth hits us with yet another whammy, telling Kaladin that his lessons have led Szeth to the realization that it’s time for him to die—that at last, he’s capable of the strength required to kill himself. Kaladin insists that’s not what he’s been teaching Szeth, who responds, “Do you want me to make my own decisions?” Oh, Szeth… you poor, confused soul. I’m glad things don’t turn out as he’s planning now, but it’s so sad to see him invigorated by the thought of dying. Dude needs MUCH more therapy than Kaladin can provide in such a short time. Readers aren’t wrong about that. Syl shows up and Kaladin asks her if she heard what Szeth said; Kaladin says he thought he was making progress, that perhaps Szeth is too far gone and he should focus on what the Wind wants him to do. Syl reminds him that people didn’t abandon him when he thought he was too far gone. AHA! Oh… that’s a rude awakening, indeed. Because I see myself in Kaladin’s shoes in that people didn’t give up on me when I thought I wasn’t worth the effort of continuing to live. Once again I find myself wanting to just give Kaladin a hug. There, there, child… you’ll be fine. Well, as fine as you can be. POV SHIFT! Whew, back to the Oathpact! We get Renarin’s POV now, rewound a bit to just before the oaths are being spoken. Glys tells him that Shalash said something wrong, so Renarin and Rlain approach her and Renarin meets her eyes. She speaks his name and he realizes that it’s Shallan. As the others begin to speak their oaths, Renarin tells Shallan what to say, then tells her that he suspects that the assassins might be the guards standing at the back of the room. When the majority of the assembled group leave to ask Taln to join them as Heralds, Renarin suggests that they can linger behind. As everyone heads out, Renarin, Rlain, and Shallan are left with three guards in the tent. As he prepares to join Shallan in moving against the guards, however, Honor attacks him. Dun-dun-dunnn… End of chapter! Of course it is—Brandon does love these kinds of bangers at the end of chapters. We’ll be off next week for Memorial Day but will pick up the following Monday to talk about what happens next! <div style="height:10px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>Lyndsey’s Commentary: Character Arcs and Maps</h3> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="634" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-63-1100x634.png" alt="Wind and Truth Chapter Arch - Chapter 63" class="wp-image-814265" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-63-1100x634.png 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-63-740x427.png 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-63-768x443.png 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-63.png 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /></figure> It’s rare for a chapter arch to feature only one Herald, and chapter 63 is one such chapter; we’ve only got Taln in all four spaces. He’s a fitting choice, however, for several reasons. For starters, we actually have a Stoneward who appears in the chapter—Dami, the Stormwall. Taln is also the Herald of war, and both Sig and Adolin’s sections in this chapter involve some pretty intense fighting. <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1100" height="606" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-64-1100x606.png" alt="Wind and Truth Chapter Arch - Chapter 64" class="wp-image-814266" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-64-1100x606.png 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-64-740x407.png 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-64-768x423.png 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wind-and-Truth-Chapter-Arch-Chapter-64.png 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" /></figure> Chapter 64’s back to the more normal two-Herald representation; specifically, Ishar and Nale. I’m going to glean from this without even looking that this is going to be a Szeth/Kaladin-heavy chapter. Let’s see if I’m right… ::turns the page:: Oh… starts with Navani? Interesting! Both Nale and Ishar show up in the Spiritual Realm’s depiction of the forming of the Oathpact, and both in pretty significant roles, so it does make sense. As I continue, however, I see that this chapter does eventually feature Szeth and Kal’s buddy-cop comedy hour, so I was right after all. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Renarin</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>All his life, Renarin had struggled to figure out what people wanted of him. It was the great recurring theme of his existence. He’d say the wrong thing, or more commonly not say something everyone expected him to, and the whole room would look at him just as they did now, in that tent full of future Heralds.</blockquote></figure> Poor Renarin. He just walks to the beat of a different drummer, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily. He needs to find the right music… and thankfully he’s got a love interest who’s very musically inclined, both figuratively and literally! <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Renarin was… growing to respect who he was rather than who he thought he should be.</blockquote></figure> This is a very powerful lesson that not everyone is mature enough to learn. Who we are is an ever-evolving, changing thing based on a million tiny factors; and society/familial expectations absolutely play a part. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>He knew he shouldn’t derive his self-worth from being what they expected, but surely there was good in pleasing others?</blockquote></figure> Not solely from pleasing others, anyway. I think that pleasing others can be a part of our self-worth, but finding your own reasons for admiring yourself is a huge part of growing up. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Dami (the Stormwall)</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Finally a fifth man dropped, the one they called the Stormwall. Dami, the Riran Stoneward. Shardplate formed around him—the largest, bulkiest suit Sigzil had ever seen, glowing a dangerous golden orange at its symbol and joints. In that armor, Dami stood a head taller than even the four conventional Shardbearers.</blockquote></figure> This being the first time we’ve seen this verified badass, it’s worth talking about him a bit. I’m rather sad that we didn’t get to see his backstory, as he’s such a cool character. Maybe we’ll learn more about him in the back five. He strikes me as the type of character who could be a main character in his own right. But in a way, I kind of like that we didn’t get a ton of focus on him. It’s nice to know that there are other interesting, powerful Radiants out there who aren’t in our core cast of characters. It would be a little strange if the entire world was only populated by our main character crew. Showing that there are others broadens the world of Roshar, letting us know that there are other people living out amazing, fascinating lives here that we are only seeing snippets of. (I’m hoping that you dig into those ribbons he’s got tied to his wrist, Drew, because they sure sound a lot like Awakening to me!) <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Sigzil</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“The Focused Ones!” an Edgedancer shouted, sliding past Sigzil in the rain, trailing fearspren like a train. “They can’t be killed! They can’t be killed!” Well, that wouldn’t do. Time for some applied science.</blockquote></figure> I’ve been trying to cut back on my animated gif usage, but <a href="https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExeWVzcjQwZWpzODJqNjFzZGpyY203eWlnM2I1b2FnY2kxbml2NXI5NiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/fqIBaMWI7m7O8/giphy.gif" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this one</a> had to be done. ::ahem:: Back to our regularly scheduled character analysis: I love what this little moment tells us about Sig and his leadership style; he sees his men panicking, and immediately takes action (putting his own life in danger) to strengthen their morale. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Vedel</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“We are sad, as Vedel’s entire nation did not make the transition to this land with her. Vedel was visiting us when the … end began.” “So I left them,” she whispered. “To burn.”</blockquote></figure> Oh, wow. There’s backstory I hadn’t expected. I wish that I could say that I was hopeful that when we get Taln’s flashback book, we’d get a lot of interesting stuff about the Heralds’ lives on their previous planet… but Taln was born later, on Roshar. I suppose we’ll never get to dig into all the interesting possibilities of the past, unless Brandon decides to write a tie-in or novella about them someday. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Adolin</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>The shoulder plates seemed to jump into place, as did other pieces, before he pushed his hands into the gauntlets.</blockquote></figure> Seemed to? Or actually did? Knowing what we know about Adolin and his connection to his Shardplate later on, I’d be willing to bet the latter. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>[…] Adolin wasn’t just any Shardbearer. He was, at his core, the Blackthorn’s son. […] Adolin didn’t like it, and he didn’t have to. He embraced it anyway.</blockquote></figure> It takes a special kind of man to not only recognize his own flaws, but to find ways to use them to his advantage. But then, we already knew how special Adolin is. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>As the corpse sagged in his hands, Adolin took it by one leg and began swinging.</blockquote></figure> Okay I know I said I was cutting back on gifs <a href="https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExaHZoaTRxNjg1NG9wanYwNnZtYzZpamp1cnIzZGtubGIzMDdlZTM5ZiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/10fTHeZVQug7hC/giphy.gif" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">but…</a> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Abidi the Monarch</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>[…] Did you know that the blood of Radiants quiets the voices in my mind, and takes away the edge of a thousand years of pain? If I bathe in it, they simmer, then slip away.</blockquote></figure> This is some grade-A psychotic insanity right here. This dude’s absolutely lost it. I love completely insane villains, though, so I’m here for this mustache-twirling badass. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Navani</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>This was… Him. The being she’d worshipped since childhood. The one she’d burned glyphwards to. Dalinar said he was dead, but she’d never been able to accept that, not the way he said it. God could not die. Perhaps an aspect of him could die, an avatar.</blockquote></figure> I’m going to start off this comment by stating that I’m not an overtly religious person anymore, despite (or perhaps thanks to) my upbringing in a very religious household. That said, I really feel for Navani here. When something that you’ve believed in your entire life, something you’ve worshipped and held to be true for as many years as she has (let’s face it, Navani’s no spring chicken) turns out to be false, it’s a real blow to your worldview. What else is wrong? How can you trust anything, when something as important as God is proven to be false? The answer comes in the next paragraph: <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>So, she steeled herself. This wasn’t actually God. This was one of his many faces.</blockquote></figure> A restructuring of her mind, in order to preserve her belief. And she’s not entirely wrong, is she? Tanavast does hold one of the Shards, which is a splinter of Adonalsium. Perhaps her belief can be salvaged. I also continually love that Navani is a scientist and a religious person. This isn’t something that one sees often in fiction, except in the instances in speculative fiction when science/magic is directly related to the powers that a god grants people. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Nale</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“But the powers you gave me… they helped burn the world itself.” Honor’s expression softened. “I’m sorry. But did I warn you?”</blockquote></figure> Whoa whoa whoa, hold up. So it was Nale who was responsible for Ashyn’s destruction? Jeez. No wonder the guy’s so messed up. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Szeth</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Because of you, Kaladin, I am finally able to recognize—and admit—that it is time for me to die. I’m at last capable of the strength required to kill myself.” […] “Szeth!” Kaladin shouted. “That isn’t why I’ve been teaching you!” “Do you want me to make my own decisions?” Szeth called back. “Yes, but—” “This is mine, bridgeman!”</blockquote></figure> Oh, Szeth. I feel so badly for this guy. His whole life has been nothing but one long, frustrating, confusing mess. I don’t blame him for wanting to end it; he’s never seen how good life can be. Not for him, anyway. The last time it seems like he experienced true happiness was before the incident with Molli. When you’ve spent your whole life being lied to, used, manipulated and abused, filled with guilt, suicide must seem like a way out. But that’s only because Szeth hasn’t seen yet that atonement is possible, and that he’s deserving of it. A truly happy life is out there waiting for him—he just can’t see the path through the trees yet. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Kaladin</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>He’s right—he does deserve to die, doesn’t he?” “I don’t know,” she said softly. “Does anyone?” “He’s killed hundreds.” Under orders. As have we.”</blockquote></figure> The Nuremberg trials had a little something to say about the “I was just following orders” defense. It’s called “superior orders,” and the ruling was that the defense wasn’t enough to excuse crimes committed, but only to lessen the punishment. As Kaladin says later, soldiers hold some weight of responsibility for their actions. This is a very deep philosophical area that they’re getting into, one which has resulted in inconsistent rulings in war crimes trials throughout history. In this particular instance, Szeth’s story is even more complicated. In many cases, soldiers sign up to be in the army. They have a choice, and agency. (I say “most” because yes, the draft and mandatory military terms are things, and there are sometimes extenuating circumstances, but for the sake of keeping this somewhat short, let’s focus on the big picture). Szeth, though, was sold into slavery. He was constricted by the societal norms of his society, all he’d ever known, and didn’t believe that he had (or deserved) a choice in his actions. Is he less culpable because of this? Or is it essentially the same, because he could have rejected the entire notion of the Oathstone and just walked away at any time? He was certainly a skilled enough warrior to do just that. It’s an incredibly complicated ethical dilemma, and I sure wouldn’t care to be on any jury that was attempting to determine his fate. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“Part of me feels like he’s a lost cause, Syl. He doesn’t want my help. […] Szeth is too far gone.” “People didn’t leave you alone when you thought you were too far gone.”</blockquote></figure> ::cough:: Adolin ::cough:: <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Map</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Why are we heading to the Elsecaller monastery?</blockquote></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="468" height="712" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/map63.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-814267" /></figure> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Battle Tactics</h4> The Shattered Plains In this week’s attack on Narak, a thunderclast last takes down the wall on Narak Four and the enemy forces are simultaneously attacking Narak Prime. I’m giving you my best guesses as to where these are happening, based on the fact that another plateau is fairly close to those two plateaus and would provide a convenient staging point for both prongs of the attack. <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="468" height="308" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/map64.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-814268" /></figure> Azir <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“Um, the commandant has a note for you here. It says, ‘Cast the Banner?’ With a question mark?” “Ah…” Adolin said. Towers maneuver. Kushkam thought from the enemy positioning that they’d try extra hard to bring down a Shardbearer today—which made sense. The enemy had largely stopped trying since their attempt on the first day. Perhaps they’d been waiting for the defenders to grow lax, and overcommit their Shards?</blockquote></figure> I don’t know exactly why I fancy the Towers maneuvers so much, but I do. I love it every time one gets brought up. I do wonder if Brandon’s got an actual game in the works… I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if that were the case. <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="468" height="430" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/map64-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-814269" /></figure> So here’s where the battle at Azimir stands currently. The Fused/Singers have built a fortification in the middle over the actual portal, a dome to provide cover against the arrows and dropped stones. A dome within a dome, if you will. (It’s domes all the way down.) They’ve extended their land holding and pushed the Azish forces back, but the Azish are still standing, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Adolin and the other Shardbearer, who are shoring up the weak points in the lines. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>One shield wall, three lines of pikes, two resting while the two at the front fought. Ten minutes at the front, ten on the pikes behind, followed by twenty minutes of rest.</blockquote></figure> A very smart setup. One which allows the defenders to maintain their men’s strength by continuously giving them breaks. Unfortunately, they’re up against some steep odds. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“The Azish Shardbearer. They sent twice as many against him—and they have shields with aluminum bands to stop the Blade.”</blockquote></figure> Where are they getting all this aluminum?! <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“I worry that battlefields are changing on us, Brightlord. Pike blocks aren’t working like they used to—they break too easily before these new kinds of troops. The old ways are dying. That worries me. All our training is in those methods.”</blockquote></figure> This is particularly interesting to me, looking through the lens of real-world battle history. We see this happen multiple times throughout our history; for just a few examples, the shifts from stone weaponry to steel, then swords and armor to guns, then guns to drones and missiles. Armies throughout time have been forced to adapt and change to the evolving science of weaponry, but what makes Roshar particularly interesting is that the army is having to adapt to the magical powers of their enemy. It makes sense, if you think about it. Magic, in a way, is the science of this world (especially once you take fabrials into account). And as Clarke’s law tells us, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Ashyn</h4> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“There was nothing you could do once the chain reaction set the air ablaze.”</blockquote></figure> I’m stepping a bit out of my wheelhouse here, because whenever they talk about this particular event, it makes me wonder if this was some sort of atomic explosion. I recall that when Oppenheimer was still researching the possibility of the atomic bomb, this “atmosphere catching fire” was a possibility and a very real fear. Perhaps Ashyn’s atmosphere was of a different composition from Earth’s? I got curious and did a little research on this subject, and came across <a href="https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/could-a-nuclear-explosion-set-earths-atmosphere-on-fire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this interesting article</a>: <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Theoretically, rapid local heating of the air when the bomb exploded could initiate fusion—the opposite of fission—reactions in the atmosphere if the cooling of the air through the release of radiation did not overcompensate. The fusion of hydrogen nuclei is responsible for sustaining stars. […] According to a<a href="https://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1946-LA-602-Konopinski-Marvin-Teller-Ignition-fo-the-Atmsophere.pdf"> report</a> written by Los Alamos researchers in 1946, “It is impossible to reach such temperatures unless fission bombs or thermonuclear bombs are used which greatly exceeds the bombs now under consideration.” […] “The limits were luckily never tested, but in general, I would say, the density of the atmosphere is too low,” Wiescher responded when asked whether a powerful enough bomb to burn the Earth’s atmosphere could ever be built. “If one would substantially increase the atmospheric density to Venus values—100 times denser than Earth—one would still not have the density of water, and the underwater test program did not ignite the oceans, as some people predicted,” he elaborated. </blockquote></figure> Now, I’m certainly not a physicist (I majored in English literature, for storm’s sake) so I can’t speak about this with any degree of authority, but perhaps someone in the comments with experience in the relevant field could weigh in? Could Ashyn’s atmosphere be considerably more dense than Roshar (and Earth)’s? Or is there another type of chain reaction at play here, other than something on a subatomic level? <div style="height:10px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>Drew’s Commentary: Invested Arts & Theories</h3> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>You need not always have the last word, though I know you collect them like badges of honor. I will not tell you where she is.</blockquote></figure> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>All I will say is that I have kept my bargain, and I did not go in person at her request for aid.</blockquote></figure> Sure, standard Endowment taking shots at Hoid’s personality, but the second epigraph this week is extraordinarily noteworthy. Valor, the mighty dragon-god Vessel steering what is nominally one of the most capable-sounding Shards, needed help? And Endowment offered it, but not in person? Has Vasher perhaps spent time elsewhere in the Cosmere, before settling on Roshar? Has Vivenna been chasing him for longer than we think? Now I’m off, imagining possible adventures with the two of them and Nightblood, starting with whatever they do with Yesteel in the as-yet-unwritten Nightblood and ultimately concluding with their arrival on Roshar… But if it isn’t Vasher, it seems like it must have been another Returned (or many). I can’t imagine how else Endowment would move her pieces on the Shardic chess board, at least given the information we currently have regarding Nalthis. (This is your regularly scheduled plea for Brandon to write that dang Nalthian System Essay.) <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Colorful ribbons—tied around his wrists and extending out through the Plate—began moving of their own accord; they spiraled outward around his fist and became like blades themselves, after the Stoneward art.</blockquote></figure> Like Lyn mentioned above, this is a pretty provocative image. We’ve had enough Awakening now in The Stormlight Archive that most readers will start picking up on ribbons and clothing moving of (seemingly) their own accord. Chapter 15 in Rhythm of War is the most notable, with Kaladin dueling against Zahel, but even in Wind and Truth we’ve seen Felt use Awakening to confront Kalak. But I actually don’t think this is Awakening, for a couple of reasons. The first is that we’ve been given no indication before this that Dami would be either a worldhopper or particularly attached to Zahel (or the Ghostbloods). It feels, to me at least, that Brandon would have laid a little more groundwork before dropping a Fourth Ideal Radiant with Awakening on us. But the second, more important reason, is the words “after the Stoneward art.” Stonewards can manipulate the Surges of Cohesion and Tension, which allow them to alter the shape, fluidity, and stiffness of matter. Turning ribbons into hardened blades actually feels pretty much right in line with this. We’ve seen a few different examples of multiple Invested Arts producing similar if not identical magical results: Hoid’s Yolish Lightweaving vs. Rosharan Lightweaving, for example, or Elantrian Elsecalling vs. Rosharan Elsecalling. This appears to be just another example of the phenomenon. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“You are a healer, Vedel, not a Firesmith,” Jezrien said, walking across the tent to comfort her.</blockquote></figure> Not really much to say here beyond noting yet another tantalizing hint at what Surgebinding was like on Ashyn. “Firesmith” is an incredibly Brandon name (he really does like taking two nouns and smashing them together into something badass), and it carries a whole lot of implied weight, given the fate of Ashyn. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“[Odium] granted you his powers. There is a Connection we can exploit, so long as the circle contains enough of you. Strongest would be sixteen or my own number of ten—it cannot be nine. If you speak oaths to me, my power can be channeled and governed by rules to prevent a cataclysm. I will take back your Surges, then grant them anew, and together you will become a force that both protects Roshar and binds the enemy away from it.</blockquote></figure> We finally get some more details about the mechanics of the Oathpact in chapter 64, and I’m grateful for it. I find it fascinating that Honor actually recommended sixteen as the number—another point toward the power of numerology in the Cosmere—before they settled on ten. And in the (revised) immortal words of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, nine is right out. It probably shouldn’t be surprising that Hoid was offered a role as a Herald, though it did catch me off-guard the first time through. I wish we knew what his actual answer was, since I imagine he’d have had thoughts about what they’re all doing. Either way, he obviously would have declined. There’s no way Hoid was going to let himself get tied down like that, grudge against Rayse or no grudge. He’s got too much to do elsewhere. That’s all for this week, though! What are your thoughts on Endowment and Valor? Do you think Vasher has been off helping Endowment by being her proxy in Shardic dealings? <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots" /> We’ll be keeping an eye on the comment sections of posts about this article on various social media platforms and may include some of your comments/speculation (with attribution) on future weeks’ articles! Keep the conversation going, and PLEASE remember to spoiler-tag your comments on social media to help preserve the surprise for those who haven’t read the book yet. As noted, next week is Memorial Day so we’re taking a break, but we’ll see you in two weeks for our discussion of chapters 65 and 66![end-mark] The post <a href="https://reactormag.com/wind-and-truth-reread-chapters-63-and-64/">Wind and Truth Reread: Chapters 63 and 64</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reactormag.com">Reactor</a>.<a href="https://reactormag.com/wind-and-truth-reread-chapters-63-and-64/">https://reactormag.com/wind-and-truth-reread-chapters-63-and-64/</a><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=814235">https://reactormag.com/?p=814235</a>

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falkner - Write Every Day - May 2025 - Day 19
james_davis_nicoll - Five Books About Imposters, Swindlers, and Con Artists
rebeccmeister - Chipper [gardening]
althea_valara in beautifulmechanical - Challenge 8: Endings and Goodbyes
atlas_obscura_places_feed - 'Tumlinger på livets vej' ('Tumblers on Life's Path') in Copenhagen, Denmark
reactor_feed - Five Books About Imposters, Swindlers, and Con Artists
notalwaysworking_feed - Getting Sicker Of The City Slicker
runpunkrun - #285, Bashō
reactor_feed - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Octopus
malurette - [book] Can't spell treason without tea ~Rebecca Thorne
highlyeccentric - Holy Shit: I'm not a Tenor
daryl_wor - 19 May 2025 Monday
osprey_archer - Picture Book Monday: A White Heron
minoanmiss - For my local friends
atlas_obscura_places_feed - Holdsveikraspítalinn í Laugarnesi in Reykjavik, Iceland
prettygoodword - cwtch
james_davis_nicoll - Clarke Award Finalists 1997
lsanderson - 2025.05.19
reactor_feed - Wind and Truth Reread: Chapters 63 and 64
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Barnstorming on an Invisible Segway

The stories are made up, but the problems are real.

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Write Every Day - May 2025 - Day 19

Five Books About Imposters, Swindlers, and Con Artists

Chipper [gardening]

Challenge 8: Endings and Goodbyes

'Tumlinger på livets vej' ('Tumblers on Life's Path') in Copenhagen, Denmark

Five Books About Imposters, Swindlers, and Con Artists

Five Books About Imposters, Swindlers, and Con Artists

Oliver VII by Antal Szerb (1942)

The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens by L. Sprague de Camp (1953)

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (2004)

The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter (2022)

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang (2023)

Getting Sicker Of The City Slicker

#285, Bashō

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Octopus

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Octopus

[book] Can't spell treason without tea ~Rebecca Thorne

Holy Shit: I'm not a Tenor

19 May 2025 Monday

Picture Book Monday: A White Heron

For my local friends

Holdsveikraspítalinn í Laugarnesi in Reykjavik, Iceland

cwtch

Clarke Award Finalists 1997

2025.05.19

Wind and Truth Reread: Chapters 63 and 64

Wind and Truth Reread: Chapters 63 and 64

I'm not interested in your voice

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