This week, we dive deep into Wind and Truth, the fifth entry in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. What starts as admiration for Sanderson’s worldbuilding turns into a sharp critique of bloated storytelling, lazy editing, and inconsistent prose. We talk about what worked—Kaladin’s healing arc, Adolin’s relationships, and some truly epic battles—but spend most of the episode unpacking what didn’t: Shallan’s unbearable arc, the meandering Ghostbloods subplot, and a Dalinar who’s overstayed his welcome. The discussion moves from disappointment to analysis, tackling themes of mental health, narrative bloat, and the line between ambition and indulgence. We end by recommending The Gone Away World as a palate cleanser for readers craving tighter, more inventive writing.

📝 Episode Notes

• Both hosts share travel updates and kick things off sick but chatty.
• Wind and Truth clocks in at 1,360 pages or 63+ hours on audio—“a beast of a book.”
• Aubrey finished months ago; Peter only recently wrapped it up after rereading all Mistborn and the Secret Projects.

Overall impressions:

• Aubrey: emotional, conflicted, “stabbed in the heart” but also confused.
• Peter: relieved it’s over—“glad I won’t have to spend any more time with some of these characters.”

Favorites:

• Kaladin’s recovery and arc completion.
• Adolin and Yanagawn’s evolving friendship.
• The battles in Adolin’s storyline.
• Kaladin’s ending feels earned and hopeful.

Critiques:

• Sanderson’s prose feels “lazy” and “11th-grade honors English.”
• Too much worldbuilding—“circled back around and crawled up its own ass.”
• Shallan and the Ghostbloods storyline: “No one likes Shallan.”
• Dalinar: “A whiny ass little bitch.”
• Yasna’s “debate” with Odium felt implausible and shallow.
• Side plots (Lift, Navani, singers) felt unnecessary or underdeveloped.

Positive Spoilers:

• Kaladin’s ending as a Herald and Szeth’s tragic depth were highlights.
• Discussion of how Sanderson’s earlier writing (Mistborn, Final Empire) felt sharper and better edited.
• Peter recommends The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway as a contrast—beautiful prose, mind-bending structure, and unforgettable turns.
• Aubrey resolves to slow down her reading pace to savor strong writing better.
• We close with laughs, no facts this week, and announce a four-week break for travel before the next episode.

After years of Marvel fatigue, we dive deep into Thunderbolts*—the first MCU film since Endgame to genuinely move us. From Florence Pugh’s standout performance as Yelena to the surprisingly heartfelt “group hug” finale, we unpack why this movie finally brought back the magic that’s been missing. Along the way, we reflect on our shared Marvel journey, rank the post-Endgame films (spoiler: most didn’t make the cut), and rediscover what made these stories so meaningful in the first place.

Opening Catch-up

• Aubrey starts a new job as an after-school group leader for kids — “the fun person, not the teacher.”
• Peter updates on Gareth’s swim success (first places all around) and a hilarious 2 a.m. fridge alarm incident.
• Both discuss recovering from September burnout and their ongoing learning projects — Peter’s Save the Cat course and Aubrey’s self-taught math/physics review plan using ChatGPT as a tutor.

Main Topic — Marvel Since Endgame

• The two go phase by phase, movie by movie, revisiting the highs (Shang-Chi, No Way Home) and many lows (Eternals, Love and Thunder, Secret Invasion).
• Aubrey admits she used to defend Marvel “like an apologist,” but finally concedes the spark was gone.
• Peter jokes that Secret Invasion made him “angrier than anything he’s ever wasted time on.”

Thunderbolts*: The Return of the MCU?

• Directed by Jake Schreier, starring Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, and others.
• Plot breakdown: Yelena leads a ragtag group of “broken people” — Bucky, Red Guardian, John Walker, Ghost — under the manipulative Valentina.
• The villain “Bob” becomes The Sentry and then The Void, forcing the team to confront their trauma inside a literal nightmare realm.
• The climax: they defeat the Void not by fighting, but by hugging Bob — a surprisingly emotional resolution.
• Post-credit: Valentina tries to rebrand them as “the new Avengers,” and the Fantastic Four ship appears.

Highlights & Themes

• Florence Pugh dominates — “It’s really Yelena and the Thunderbolts.”
• Standout emotional moment: Yelena’s tearful “Daddy, I’m so lonely” scene with Red Guardian.
• Symbolism: the opening fight mirrors the “shadow” motif that returns when the Void consumes people.
• The film’s power lies in broken people learning to support each other without pretending friendship fixes everything.
• Classic Marvel humor returns — from Bucky-as-congressman gags to Red Guardian’s sticker-covered tracksuit.

We kick off this cozy catch-up episode by talking about burnout, post-wedding exhaustion, and the lingering weirdness of long-distance relationships. From there, we dive into the theme of lifelong learning—how to keep your brain sharp and your curiosity alive after formal schooling ends. Peter shares his new quarterly “learning sprint” approach inspired by David Perell’s Learn Like an Athlete, outlining his plan to spend the next three months mastering story structure before returning to novel-writing. Aubrey reflects on keeping her astrophysics skills sharp, learning more about fitness from a science-nerd angle, and her dreams of returning to piano someday. The conversation wraps with a classic Generations blend of humor and motivation as Peter shares a health study proving heavy lifting’s long-term benefits—reminding us all that it’s never too late to pick up a barbell or a new skill.

Episode Notes

Opening chat:

• Peter feels completely drained after a whirlwind of family events and hospital admin battles.
• Aubrey talks about being home alone while Hayden traveled and how long-distance “muscle memory” still hits hard.
• Both agree that post-big-life-event fatigue is real.

Topic introduction – “Lifelong Learning”:

• Peter introduces an article by David Perell, Learn Like an Athlete, found through ReadWise Reader.
• Discusses how ReadWise makes highlighting meaningful through spaced repetition and daily resurfacing of insights.
• Perell’s idea: approach learning like athletes train—using three-month learning sprints with clear focus and goals.

Peter’s Q4 learning sprint:

• Theme: Story structure and character development for novel writing.
• Goal: Build an outline and structured framework for his next book by January 1.
• Using Jessica Brody’s Writing Mastery Academy and a library of writing books from Humble Bundle and StoryBundle.
• Plans six books and six courses—may adjust as he finds his pace.
• Next quarter (Q1 2026): Learn photography fundamentals—composition, editing, and shooting with just his iPhone.

Aubrey’s learning plans:

• Wants to keep her math and physics skills sharp while applying to grad school.
• Plans to study Physics GRE problems to maintain academic sharpness.
• Considering a personal training certification—diving deeper into the science of fitness and anatomy.
• Hopes to return to piano when space allows—acknowledging how humbling it’ll be to rebuild old skill.
• Has been deep in her plant care hobby, enjoying the continuous learning it offers.

Shared reflections:

• The joy of learning freely, outside of grades and assignments.
• Using modern tools like ChatGPT and YouTube to build structured, personalized learning plans.
• Seeing learning as a lifelong habit that keeps the brain resilient.

Health segment:

• Peter shares a study featured in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pump Club:
  • Adults in their 60s who trained with heavy resistance for one year retained significant strength four years later.
  • Resistance training builds long-term neuromuscular adaptations—real “muscle memory.”
• Peter and Aubrey geek out on progressive overload, structured training, and how repetition creates real growth.
• Shout-out to Arnold’s Pump Club app—even Peter’s wife is hooked!

Closing notes:

• Message of the week: Keep learning. Keep lifting. Keep showing up.
• Feedback welcome at feedback@generations.fm