Tor.com’s “Glimpses of Radiance” campaign—our daily previews of Brandon Sanderson’s Words of Radiance, book two of The Stormlight Archive—has concluded. Now that the book is here, you can find out where all those little hints came from. To help you in your scavenger hunt, we’ve rounded up all the Glimpses in one place for you to read.
Obviously, this post will contain spoilers for The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. You can join the massive and spoiler-filled Glimpses discussion thread, already in progress.
Day 1—Tuesday, February 11
“Thirty-eight days,” Renarin read. “The end of all nations.”
Day Two—Wednesday, February 12
She felt and heard the storm approach. The ground shook, the air roared. Bits of leaves swept across her in a chill gust, like scouts before an oncoming army that charged behind, the howling wind its battle cry.
Day Three—Thursday, February 13
In places, it flashed with light from behind, revealing movement and shadows within. Like the skeleton of a hand when light illuminated the flesh, there was something inside that wall of destruction.
Day Four—Friday, February 14
Of fires that burned and yet they were gone. Of heat he could feel when others felt not. Of screams his own that nobody heard. Of torture sublime, for life it meant.
Day Five—Saturday, February 15
Have you given up on the gemstone, now that it is dead? And do you no longer hide behind the name of your old master?
Day Six—Sunday, February 16
“He thinks you’re a god. You shouldn’t encourage him.”
“Why not? I am a god.”
Day Seven—Monday, February 17
HE COMES FOR YOU, LITTLE TRAITOR. I AM SORRY.
Day Eight—Tuesday, February 18
“It’s not a big deal. Dalinar Kholin is friends with one of the worst murderers I’ve ever met. So? Dalinar is lighteyed. He’s probably friends with a lot of murderers.”
Day Nine—Wednesday, February 19
The woman’s skin had hardened to something like stone, smooth, with fine cracks. It was as if the person were a living statue.
Day Ten—Thursday, February 20
“What do you do if the hand is festering, threatening the entire body? Do you wait and hope it gets better, or do you act?”
Day Eleven—Friday, February 21
Dalinar knelt beneath a fracturing sky, holding his son.
Day Twelve—Saturday, February 22
“Prince Renarin, would you kindly slay this rock for me?”
Day Thirteen—Sunday, February 23
Pattern buzzed, speaking with a new voice, interpreting the sphere’s words. “I am a stick,” he said. He sounded satisfied.
Day Fourteen—Monday, February 24
“Stupid move, putting yourself in my hands. Everyone knows I like to set things on fire and watch them burn.”
Day Fifteen—Tuesday, February 25
The souls of the people he had murdered lurked in the shadows. They whispered to him. If he drew close, they screamed.
Day Sixteen—Wednesday, February 26
“I knew it. When we have this figured out, the king of all Herdaz, he will say to me, ’Lopen, you are glowing, and this is impressive. But you can also fly. For this, you may marry my daughter.’”
Day Seventeen—Thursday, February 27
Adolin screamed something raw, a sound that echoed in his helm. He ignored the shouts of soldiers, the sound of rain, the sudden and unnatural crack behind him. He ran to the body on the ground.
Day Eighteen—Friday, February 28
As if the darkness itself had come alive, something wrapped around her.
It pulled her farther into the deep.
Day Nineteen—Saturday, March 1
He had his wrist wrapped, and the bruises on his face were starting to purple. They made him look slightly less intoxicatingly handsome, though there was a rugged “I punched a lot of people today” quality to that, which was fetching in its own right.
Day Twenty—Sunday, March 2
This would be a sad place to die. A place away from the wind.
Day Twenty-One—Monday, March 3
You must become king. Of Everything.
Well, so far I’ve verified that I guessed correctly twice, and incorrectly a time or two. Need more reading time…
I’ve been surprised by several. But happily so. Others, still to come and worry about.
#21 was hilarious when I read it and the implications of who said it to whom.
Did anyone bother to compile a page reference list for these? I caught most of them, but several I didn’t notice while reading and am curious of the context.
Kindle pages. Your mileage may vary.
Day 1—Tuesday, February 11
Chapter 33 Burdens, Page 382
“Thirty-eight days,” Renarin read. “The end of all nations.”
Day Two—Wednesday, February 12
Interlude 5 The Rider of Storms, Page 395 (Eshonai attuning the spren in the storm)
She felt and heard the storm approach. The ground shook, the air roared. Bits of leaves swept across her in a chill gust, like scouts before an oncoming army that charged behind, the howling wind its battle cry.
Day Three—Thursday, February 13
49 Watching the World Transform, Page 579 (Shallan watching storm from café)
In places, it flashed with light from behind, revealing movement and shadows within. Like the skeleton of a hand when light illuminated the flesh, there was something inside that wall of destruction.
Day Four—Friday, February 14
Interlude 7 Taln, Page 400 (Taln)
Of fires that burned and yet they were gone. Of heat he could feel when others felt not. Of screams his own that nobody heard. Of torture sublime, for life it meant.
Day Five—Saturday, February 15
60 Veil Walks (Letter in response to Wit)
Have you given up on the gemstone, now that it is dead? And do you no longer hide behind the name of your old master?
Day Six—Sunday, February 16
16 Swordmaster (Kaladin to Syl about Rock)
“He thinks you’re a god. You shouldn’t encourage him.”
“Why not? I am a god.”
Day Seven—Monday, February 17
32 The One Who Hates, Page 369 (StormFather to Kaladin in a dream)
HE COMES FOR YOU, LITTLE TRAITOR. I AM SORRY.
Day Eight—Tuesday, February 18
16 Swordmaster, Page 238 (Kaladin to Syl)
“It’s not a big deal. Dalinar Kholin is friends with one of the worst murderers I’ve ever met. So? Dalinar is lighteyed. He’s probably friends with a lot of murderers.”
Day Nine—Wednesday, February 19
35 The Multiplied Strain of Simultaneous Infusion, Page 410 (Adolin watching Soulcasters)
The woman’s skin had hardened to something like stone, smooth, with fine cracks. It was as if the person were a living statue.
Day Ten—Thursday, February 20
46 Patriots, Page 544 (Moash to Kaladin)
“What do you do if the hand is festering, threatening the entire body? Do you wait and hope it gets better, or do you act?”
Day Eleven—Friday, February 21
85 Swallowed by the Sky, Page 1019 (Dalinar holding the knocked down Adolin)
Dalinar knelt beneath a fracturing sky, holding his son.
Day Twelve—Saturday, February 22
83 Time’s Illusion, Page 1000 (Shallan about the mossy rock)
“Prince Renarin, would you kindly slay this rock for me?”
Day Thirteen—Sunday, February 23
11 An Illusion of Perception, Page 144 (Pattern to Shallan about a Shadesmar sphere)
Pattern buzzed, speaking with a new voice, interpreting the sphere’s words. “I am a stick,” he said. He sounded satisfied.
Day Fourteen—Monday, February 24
38 The Silent Storm, Page 446 (Sabarial to Shallan)
“Stupid move, putting yourself in my hands. Everyone knows I like to set things on fire and watch them burn.”
Day Fifteen—Tuesday, February 25
Interlude 10, Page 708 (Szeth to himself)
The souls of the people he had murdered lurked in the shadows. They whispered to him. If he drew close, they screamed.
Day Sixteen—Wednesday, February 26
41 Scars, Page 468 (Lopen to the Bridge Four Practice Team)
“I knew it. When we have this figured out, the king of all Herdaz, he will say to me, ‘Lopen, you are glowing, and this is impressive. But you can also fly. For this, you may marry my daughter.'”
Day Seventeen—Thursday, February 27
81 The Last Day, Page 979 (Adolin about his horse)
Adolin screamed something raw, a sound that echoed in his helm. He ignored the shouts of soldiers, the sound of rain, the sudden and unnatural crack behind him. He ran to the body on the ground.
Day Eighteen—Friday, February 28
7 Open Flame, Page 120 (Shallan)
As if the darkness itself had come alive, something wrapped around her.
It pulled her farther into the deep.
Day Nineteen—Saturday, March 1
88 The Man Who Owned the Winds, Page 1057 (Shallan of Adolin)
He had his wrist wrapped, and the bruises on his face were starting to purple. They made him look slightly less intoxicatingly handsome, though there was a rugged “I punched a lot of people today” quality to that, which was fetching in its own right.
Day Twenty—Sunday, March 2
83 Time’s Illusion, Page 1006 (Kaladin to himself when facing Moash)
This would be a sad place to die. A place away from the wind.
Day Twenty-One—Monday, March 3
80 To Fight the Rain, Page 959 (Taravangian to himself via the diagram)
You must become king. Of Everything.
> Day Thirteen—Sunday, February 23
Pattern buzzed, speaking with a new voice, interpreting the sphere’s words. “I am a stick,” he said. He sounded satisfied.
This was so great in the audiobook version. Kate Reading does her parts of the whole book well, but this in particular was really, really good.
Carl picked 30 glimpses. I weeded out 8 of them. Here are the other ones. (Major spoilers!)
First the one that I didn’t weed out but that didn’t get used:
Now the ones I weeded out. You should be able to guess why I disqualified each one:
And the one where I just laughed because Carl was trolling me: