Wind and Truth is the fifth novel in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. The series follows a large cast of characters involved in an age-old war for control of the planet Roshar. Each novel explores the backstory of one character, using the device of flashbacks.

The inciting incident in The Way of Kings (2010), the first novel in the series, is the murder of the king of the nation of Alethkar. The murder is committed by the assassin Szeth, but a race of non-humans called the Parshendi takes credit for the murder, thus launching the War of Reckoning between the two races: Parshendi and humans. The primary setting for the war is the Shattered Plains, a vast and desolate area consisting of countless plateaus divided by deep chasms.

Kaladin’s flashbacks feature most prominently in The Way of Kings. Kaladin enlists to be a soldier to protect his younger brother, who soon dies. After a conflict with his commanding officer, Kaladin is betrayed and enslaved. He is assigned to a bridge crew that is responsible for placing heavy bridges so that soldiers can cross the chasms. While serving on the bridge crew, Kaladin bonds with a