Rhythm of War (9781429952040)
“Rhythm of War” is the fourth installment in Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy series, The Stormlight Archive. Set on the planet Roshar, the novel continues the conflict between Dalinar Kholin’s coalition of Knights Radiant and the forces of Odium, a malevolent god seeking dominion. The story delves deeper into the psychological and emotional struggles of key characters, including Kaladin, Shallan, and Navani, as they grapple with war, trauma, and the mysteries of ancient magics. Themes of resilience, identity, and the cost of power are explored amidst intricate world-building and high-stakes battles. The book expands the Cosmere universe, revealing new layers of lore and setting the stage for future confrontations.
86. The Song of Mornings
bySanderson, Brandon
The chapter follows Venli, a listener scholar, as she reflects on her decision to align with the mysterious spren Ulim during the war against humans. Convinced that her people need greater power to survive, she observes the returning warband led by Eshonai, noting their exhaustion and losses with hidden satisfaction. Venli believes the listeners are nearing a breaking point, making them more receptive to the transformative stormform she plans to introduce. Her motivations, however, are not purely altruistic—she seeks personal power and freedom, determined to never be dependent on others again.
Venli maneuvers through the ancient city, meeting with Denshil, a farmer secretly aiding her by stockpiling gemstones. She pressures him to increase their reserves, using the threat of human annihilation and the safety of listener children as leverage. Denshil reluctantly agrees, though he expresses concerns about the long-term consequences of their deception. Venli reassures him that their actions are preparatory, framing it as a necessary step to present to the listener leadership, the Five. Her manipulation highlights her growing cunning and willingness to exploit others’ fears for her goals.
The chapter reveals Venli’s collaboration with Ulim, a spren from Shadesmar, who informs her that a catastrophic storm—Odium’s essence—is nearing their world. This storm contains mindless stormspren, which Venli must capture to grant her people stormform. Ulim’s cryptic explanations about the storm’s origins and purpose underscore the larger, cosmic stakes at play. Venli’s impatience and ambition clash with Ulim’s elusive assurances, hinting at tensions in their alliance.
As Venli prepares for the storm’s arrival, her internal monologue reveals her dual priorities: saving her people and securing her own dominance. She no longer masks her desire for power, seeing stormform as a means to both survival and supremacy. The chapter ends with a sense of impending transformation, as Venli stands on the brink of unleashing a force that could reshape her people’s destiny—and her own.
FAQs
1. What is Venli’s primary motivation for pushing her people toward stormform, and how does this motivation evolve throughout the chapter?
Answer:
Venli initially justifies her actions as necessary for her people’s survival against the humans, particularly with reports of Surgebinders returning. However, her internal monologue reveals a deeper, more personal motivation: a desire for true freedom and power. She acknowledges that while helping her people is part of her goal, she ultimately seeks to ensure her own dominance and independence (”she would be the one who obtained the most freedom”). This shift from collective protection to personal ambition highlights her growing confidence and ruthlessness, especially as she manipulates others like Denshil and takes pleasure in the deaths of potential resisters.
2. How does Venli manipulate Denshil, and what does this reveal about her leadership tactics?
Answer:
Venli exploits Denshil’s fears and paternal instincts to coerce him into saving gemstones for stormform. She frames their actions as preparatory work for a future proposal to the Five, masking her true agenda. When he resists, she appeals to his emotions by mentioning his daughter and the threat of human violence (“take away their songs”). This manipulation reveals Venli’s calculated leadership style—she uses half-truths, emotional leverage, and implied threats to achieve her goals. Her ability to switch rhythms (e.g., Reprimand, Confidence) to control conversations further demonstrates her strategic use of listener culture as a tool for domination.
3. Analyze the significance of the “storm in Shadesmar” and its connection to Odium. How does this foreshadow future events?
Answer:
The storm in Shadesmar represents Odium’s growing influence and the impending arrival of his power on the physical plane. Ulim describes it as a barrier to Damnation and a source of mindless stormspren, which Venli plans to harness for stormform. This storm—a fragment of Odium’s essence—symbolizes the coming catastrophic change, mirroring Venli’s internal turmoil and the listeners’ societal collapse. The storm’s “painful” movement across the landscape suggests an inevitable, destructive transformation, foreshadowing both the listeners’ forced evolution and the broader conflict between Odium and Roshar’s inhabitants.
4. How does the chapter portray the listeners’ societal decline, and what role does Venli play in accelerating it?
Answer:
The listeners are depicted as a dying culture: their warriors return bloodied and demoralized, children are scarce due to abandoned mateform traditions, and essential roles like farming are strained. Venli accelerates this decline by deliberately sending the bravest listeners to die in battle, removing potential opposition to her plans. Her collaboration with Ulim undermines traditional values (e.g., gemstone cutting for survival vs. power). The chapter underscores her role as a catalyst for destruction, as she prioritizes stormform’s promise of power over her people’s immediate well-being, echoing her belief that stagnation is worse than radical change.
5. Evaluate Venli’s statement: “True freedom couldn’t exist while someone else had power over you.” How does this philosophy conflict with her actions?
Answer:
Venli’s philosophy champions absolute autonomy, yet her actions create dependency—on Odium’s power, Ulim’s guidance, and the manipulated compliance of her people. While she seeks to free herself from perceived subjugation (e.g., human threats, listener traditions), she enslaves others through deceit and emotional coercion. This hypocrisy highlights her flawed understanding of freedom; true agency would require ethical consistency and mutual respect, not domination. Her path mirrors Odium’s destructive influence, suggesting that her pursuit of control may ultimately trap her in a cycle of servitude to darker forces.
Quotes
1. “True freedom couldn’t exist while someone else had power over you.”
This pivotal line reveals Venli’s core motivation—her pursuit of absolute autonomy, even at the expense of her people. It marks her transition from claiming altruistic motives to openly embracing selfish ambition as she manipulates the listeners’ survival crisis.
2. “In a perfect bit of poetry, this ensured that the bravest of the listeners—those most likely to resist Venli when she brought them stormform—fought on the front lines each day, dying.”
This chilling observation showcases Venli’s strategic cruelty, framing war casualties as convenient elimination of opposition. The “poetry” metaphor underscores how she aestheticizes her people’s suffering for personal gain.
3. “We won’t live long enough to starve, Denshil. Not if the humans get here. Not if they find your children and take away their songs…”
A masterclass in manipulative rhetoric, this quote demonstrates how Venli weaponizes cultural trauma (the listeners’ historical subjugation) to coerce compliance. The threat to children and songs targets fundamental fears to override rational objections about resource scarcity.
4. “I can’t see into Shadesmar… I feel the storm on the other side. I think it’s nearly here.”
Ulim’s ominous statement hints at the impending Everstorm, a cataclysmic event being orchestrated by Odium. The uncertainty (“I think”) contrasts with the certainty of coming devastation, creating dramatic irony about the doom Venli is helping unleash.