One fascinating thing about the Stormlight Archive is how diverse the opinions are about the best and worst entries. You can ask five different fans and get five different picks for the favorite. Interestingly, my favorite seems to be one of the least popular. Consider yourself warned about spoilers for the first five books in the Stormlight Archive.

And now, without further ado, I reveal my favorite of the Stormlight Archive. Drumroll please… My favorite entry is Rhythm of War. I loved Rhythm of War for so many reasons.

Navani and Raboniel

Navani’s triumph, seeing Gavilar so cruelly dismiss her in the prologue only for her to triumph and prove him wrong, was incredible character development. Raboniel was a fascinating, relatable, complex villain. Their respectful rivalry had me completely hooked, and I loved the developments with the anti-lights and the rhythms.

Adolin and Maya

 Two words got me teary-eyed, not just once, but even on a subsequent reread with my son: “We chose!” Seeing Maya fight for Adolin after several books gently and expertly built their relationship was so beautiful. That moment was my favorite moment in the entire series.

Taravangian

Holy cow! What to say about Taravangian, or perhaps we now call him Teravodium. That was a twist I did not see coming, and it has huge ramifications for the entire series. I loved it from a storytelling perspective because it was such a perfect destination for that character, and yet it caught me completely off guard.

Kaldin and the Pursuer

Sanderson managed to keep Kaladin interesting by forcing him to deal with hampered power. Just as Kaladin’s competence and power risked becoming cliché and boring, Urithiru is compromised, ratcheting up the narrative tension. The Pursuer felt terrifying in the confines of the tower, given Kaladin’s limitations.

Teft and Moash

I didn’t find Teft’s end too shocking, but it still hit me in the feels just a bit. Moash’s continued treachery got my blood boiling, but he finally got some comeuppance when he was blinded at the end. Alas, our anti-Kaladin lives on for us to loathe him into book five. I kind of hoped he was finished after his defeat in book 4. I at least ended the book on that happy and hopeful note.

Final Thoughts

Many complain about this book spending too much time with the singers, but I found their perspective fascinating. One friend of mine complained that it was “Total Recall with surge binding,” but I’ve never seen that Christmas classic. Ultimately, this book had the best payoff in Sanderson’s works, aside from the thrilling way he wrapped up Hero of Ages.