Wind and Truth

Wind and Truth is the fifth book of The Stormlight Archive, the ending to the front half of the series. It was released on December 6th, 2024, coinciding with the 2024 Dragonsteel convention. The book was previously known as Knights of Wind and Truth. The titles of the first arc of the series thus parallels the Ketek structure (TWoK,WoR,O,RoW,KoW(a)T), but is not a true Ketek.
== Synopsis ==
As the end arrives, I wonder if we should have done more.
We have what we wanted. Surges return to the children of Honor and Cultivation, but there is another who lays claim upon their hearts. Once, I wished for the sword that humankind could be—but now I wonder if we have been deluded as well. If this was his plan, and not ours, and if those we watched were not ours to nurture, but his.
Ten days remain. Two champions. The culmination of milennia of preparation, posturing, and prayer. Ideologies, as storms, gather to crush the world between their separate dreams—and one man will stand at the center of it. A man who now remembers his past, but leads a people who have forgotten theirs.
As Cultivation pulls her final string, and sends the Reimagined King to seek the truth, we must wait and tremble. The Reforged Spear becomes the hope of spren. The Reformed Woman pries in corners of a god's mind. The Reborn Assassin puts his knife to the throat of a once proud people.
It is not the end we hoped for. We have lost the ability to see what will happen, for a challenge has come that none of us anticipated.
For the power of Honor . . . has begun to question.
== Blurb ==
== Summary ==
== Development ==
The first progress update was published on Reddit on September 6th, 2022, when the first draft was about 15% complete. The second progress update was published on Reddit on March 13th, 2023, when the first draft was roughly 33% complete. The first draft was finished sometime between December 21 and 26, 2023 and the second and third drafts have been completed. This was made easier because Brandon made revisions while working on the first draft. According to Brandon's website, the fourth and last revision is completed as of June 4 2024.
Peter Ahlstrom reported on July 25, 2024 that when the final draft of Wind and Truth was given to Tor it was 491k words and 1364 pages, but they managed to get it down to 1344 pages by moving illustrations around and 'squeezing' some chapters with only few lines on their last page.
=== Pre-Publication Content ===
* In March 2022, Brandon did a reading of the first draft of the prologue on his YouTube channel. It can be read and listened to here on Arcanum.
* At FanX in 2022, Brandon did a reading of part of the first Kaladin chapter from the first draft, which can be read and listened to here on Arcanum.
* At New York Comic Con in 2022, Brandon did a reading of the first draft of Szeth's first and second flashbacks, which can be read and listened to here on Arcanum.
* During Dragonsteel 2022, Brandon did a reading of the remainder of Kaladin's first chapter as well as his second chapter, which can be read here on Arcanum.
* During Dragonsteel 2022, Brandon also did a reading of Szeth's third flashback, which can be read and listened to here on Arcanum.
* At Tampa Bay Comic Con in 2023, Brandon read from a Jasnah chapter, which can be read and listened to here on Arcanum.
* During Dragonsteel 2023, Brandon did a reading of an interlude, which can be read here on Arcanum.
* At C2E2 in 2024, Brandon did a reading of the first two Shallan chapters, which can be read here on Arcanum.
* At FanX in 2024, Brandon did a reading of an interlude, which can be read here on Arcanum
* Dalinar will play a larger role than in Rhythm of War.
* Szeth will be the focus character.
* More of Roshar's queer characters will be canonized in the book, including Renarin and Rlain.
* The planned ending was based upon the ending he planned out for an RPG in 1999, and has been in the outline from the start. Brandon hopes that it will land right with people and recontextualize many important moments in the series.
* The Intent of the last shard will be revealed in the book.
* The old Vorin philosophy of body focus will be relevant for a small thing happening in this book.
=== Concept art ===
A couple of pieces of concept art were commissioned by Dragonsteel for the book.
SA5 Concept Art by Randy Vargas.jpg | by 
SA5 Concept Art by Petar Penev.jpg | by 
== Cover Gallery ==
== Interior Art ==
== Trivia ==
* It was originally referred to as Stones Unhallowed, before being changed to Knights of Wind and Truth, before finally being changed to Wind and Truth, which stands as the official name.
* This is the first Stormlight Archive volume to lack an Ars Arcanum; this is for practical reasons, as there were physical limits to the size of book that had to be published.
== Statistical Analysis ==
Wind and Truth consists of one prologue, one hundred and forty-seven chapters, twenty of which are reserved for flashbacks of Szeth, eighteen interludes, one epilogue, and one postlude, reaching a total word count of 487,746. There are thirty-three different unique point-of-view characters in a total of 341 POVs.
Word Count 	487,746	
Page Count 	1,330 	Tor hardback
Chapter Count 	168 	Including prologue, 18 interludes, an epilogue, an a postlude.
PoV Characters	33 	
PoV Count 	341 	
== Notes ==
es:Knights of Wind and Truth