Recent entries

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1702 Copy

    Questioner

    Are there any plans to revisit Threnody or some of the other worlds that were mentioned in Arcanum Unbounded?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. I have a novel on Threnody I want to write, and I have a short story and a novel I want to write on First of the Sun. We'll see if I can get to any of those.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1707 Copy

    Questioner

    Is Thaidakar a Cognitive Shadow?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes he is. Have you finished Rhythm of War?

    Questioner

    I have, yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So you know who Thaidakar is, right?

    Questioner

    No. Does it say in the book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, but it calls him... It's Kelsier. They call him the Lord of Scars, someone else confirmed it, it's Kelsier.

    Questioner

    The "Lord of Scars" thing is what had us thinking, but we weren't sure if it was true.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is Kelsier. He's been doing some stuff.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1708 Copy

    Questioner

    Shallan has two spren. I assume the Shardblade she is using in Words of Radiance is Pattern. But had she sworn the Third Ideal at that point?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will get this whole timeline explained for you. It's really intricate, though.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1710 Copy

    Questioner

    When you were writing Elantris and you introduced Hoid, did you already have planned for him to be what he is now?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hoid started appearing in books I was reading when I was fifteen; I would imagine him in other people's books. By then, I already had this character in my head that had been worldhopping between Anne McCaffrey's books, and David Eddings' books, and all those things. So I did know what I was gonna be doing. I didn't know where it would all go. I didn't have the whole cosmere built, but I did have him. He was my first D&D character. I'm being recorded; I don't even know if they know that, that I used Topaz (is what he was called back then) as my first D&D character. He's in my first book that I tried writing when I was fourteen.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1711 Copy

    Questioner

    If you were in a Rithmatic battle, what would your defense be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It would probably be a Knight or Shardbearer, even though it's a little harder... I don't know if you were talking about chalklings, or which defense I would use?

    Questioner

    Yeah.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't know. See, I name them all after my friends, so... I'd probably pick the Eskridge defense. That makes me pick one of my friends over another, but you know.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1713 Copy

    Questioner

    Is it possible to turn Breaths into... how does Awakening work on Roshar and Shadesmar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You can still use it normally, as you would expect it, as the magic works. People are trying to figure out how to turn one type of Investiture into another, and it it is harder than it seems. They haven't cracked it yet.

    Questioner

    So they always have to bring their own form of Investiture?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A Returned can feed off of other Investiture, just like Nightblood can. One of the reasons to move to Roshar is: it's easier to get Stormlight than it is Breaths.

    Questioner

    That makes sense why Zahel, then.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That explains Zahel, right.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1717 Copy

    Questioner

    How did Nale bring Szeth back to life?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Szeth's spirit had not moved onto the Beyond. It was basically Rosharan CPR. He repaired the body, and Szeth was not dead dead. His heart had stopped, but when his body came back together, it started beating again.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1718 Copy

    Questioner

    Is Khriss going to make her appearance on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So far, she's had Nazh do that, but she is in Shadesmar, or has been in Shadesmar at various points. So it's entirely possible. She lets Nazh do the hard jobs.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1721 Copy

    Questioner

    Could a mindblade break a Shardblade? Could a mindblade stop a Shardblade, or would a Shardblade stop a mindblade?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think that a Shardblade would stop a mindblade. And whether the mindblade could stop the Shardblade or not would depend on the power of the cytonic and how strong their mind is.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1723 Copy

    Questioner

    Are we going to learn the similarities between the two people, the surgeon's first words when they were born... <Demid> and Taravangian? The cord around their neck?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'll just say, I didn't intend that to be something you look at and say, "Oh, it's the same!" What I mean that to mean is bad medical care. All three of my children would have died in childbirth if we didn't have modern medical care. My first one had the cord around his neck. The doctors have told us they would all be dead. I just think that's very common in a society like this. The things going on with Roshar is, Rosharans are innately tougher because of their Investiture, so they're more likely to survive traumatic experiences. It's not meant to say you should be looking for any other connection in something like that.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1724 Copy

    Questioner

    In the Arcanum Unbounded, it says that a Rosharan foot is longer than cosmere standard. How does that compare to an Earth foot?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Longer. Kaladin is almost seven feet tall, by our measurements. We've got a height comparison, Shallan is about six feet tall. She thinks she's short. Compared to us, she'd be on the taller end. That's why if you notice people from around the cosmere that show up, they're often mentioned as short. Not Hoid, who's able to use magical means to change how he's perceived, but someone like Felt, and stuff like that.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1725 Copy

    Questioner

    Would a Shardblade be able to hurt Steelheart?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, I think it would.

    Questioner

    If the person feared him, would they still be able to hurt him?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Even if they didn't fear him, if you mashed Steelheart into the cosmere--which it's not, but if you did, the Steelheart magics would all have to work on the cosmere magics, which means that a Shardblade could hurt him. If you had a Shardblade, you could hurt someone even if you didn't know their weakness. That would be a way it would have to work. Now, if you were to mash them all into Steelheart's universe, then maybe not.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1726 Copy

    Questioner

    Can Leechers leech on other types of Investiture across the cosmere? And how do people power their powers on worlds?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, Scadrians can use metal from other worlds. The metal is considered a facilitator, a key for reaching the Spiritual Realm, and distance doesn't matter for the Spiritual Realm. All of the Allomantic powers, Leechers in particular, they do have an influence with the other magic systems. Even as simple as a Shardblade would be very difficult, near impossible to push or pull, because of the level of Investiture it has. Copperclouds have some interesting ramifications, as well as Seekers have interesting ramifications, and Leechers would work on other magic systems as well. It is a little tricky how it interfaces sometimes, but it'll generally do what you're expecting it to do.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1727 Copy

    Steeldancer

    A while back, you mentioned that if certain circumstances hadn't happened on Taldain, that Taldainians... the people on Taldain probably would've been the first to space. Which interests me greatly, because they don't really have a magic system that is very conducive to faster than light travel.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I didn't say--did I say FTL?

    Steeldancer

    You didn't, that's true, but that doesn't change my question. So my question is, is there a method, other than Allomantic ways and Surgebinding ways, for faster than light, that could be achieved on any minor Shardworld, as long as they have access to Investiture?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, there is, but it depends on if you could get in Shadesmar. You could travel FTL in the Physical Realm through Shadesmar. Basically, just take a spaceship in Shadesmar and travel between Shardpools and you've achieved FTL. Because travel through Shadesmar, you could walk between planets in Shadesmar. So anyone who can get in and out of Shadesmar reliably can FTL. Ways in and out of Shadesmar are very rare, which is extremely limiting, but it is possible.

    YouTube Livestream 35 ()
    #1730 Copy

    Zane Borrow

    Would you ever consider creating a sport in one of your series similar to a quidditch thing?  Selling jersey and such?  Mistborn Dodgeball?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes!  In fact, the previous Wax and Wayne book has little hints about this, and the new one has another step forward.  Obviously, Rithmatist is this; but they mean in the Cosmere and more of a formalized sport.

    For those who don't know, part of the reason I wrote the Rithmatist is I'm like, "I wanna do a book where they use the magic for some sort of game or sport."  But you can anticipate in Era 3 fully Metallurgic Arts-enhanced sports teams.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1731 Copy

    Questioner

    In the fourth book of The Way of Kings, when Kaladin ascends to the fourth thought [ideal]. The only thing I don't like is that he projects the Shard [Shardplate], you know, to protect the kid and stuff. How - I don't know, that bugs me.

    Brandon Sanderson

    You are allowed to be bugged. And I give readers line-item vetoes. If you want to pretend that doesn't exist, you'll just have to imagine some of the scenes in future books differently.

    Questioner

    Well I mean, hopefully there will be an explanation for that or something, I don't know. As of right now, it bugs me, but everything else was awesome.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'll try to explain it, we'll see if it works for you.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1732 Copy

    Questioner

    In Skyward, Jorgen's original callsign, he asks to be "Jorgen." Is that also his real name?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Jorgen? Yes.

    Questioner

    So he asked for his real name to be his callsign?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, cause he is not quite as imaginative as he should be. It's supposed to kind of be a joke. Jorgen has trouble with stuff like that.

    Questioner

    I've been curious cause I couldn't find anything about a real name.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yep, it is actually his real name.

    Footnote: Correction: Jorgen wanted his Callsign to be "Jager".
    FanX 2021 ()
    #1733 Copy

    Questioner

    Jasnah was in Shadesmar for kind of a long time, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Did she go somewhere and get other Investiture?

    Brandon Sanderson

    She did not manage to get off world. Good question. She's becoming cosmere aware, but really it's through Hoid. Before, she didn't really have very much awareness of that.

    Questioner

    How did she survive, like getting stuff to eat and stuff?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You can get it if you know what you're doing in Shadesmar.

    Questioner

    She's pretty resourceful, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    She's pretty resourceful. Most of the time, you're gonna have to trade for it. There's actually caravans that go through Shadesmar. They almost always stop at Roshar to resupply through the Horneater Peaks. So if you know what you're doing, you could trade for food. They have food in a lot of the waystops and the cities and things like that because humans are coming through, and it's a thing they can trade them.

    Questioner

    A lot of those canned goods, those coming from Scadrial?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If it's canned, it's coming from Scadrial at this point. Taldain probably has the same technology at that point, but Taldain is closed. So the cans are coming from Scadrial.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1734 Copy

    Questioner

    How old was Shallan when she killed her first spren?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would have to look at the exact outline of that. Karen keeps all of the continuity timeline stuff, and I just kind of offload that part of my brain to her, so she's the one that would know. You can ask Karen some time when she's around.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1735 Copy

    Questioner

    I've heard that you're kind of close with the Magic: The Gathering people?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I mean, I did write a story for them, I do know some people over there.

    Questioner

    Have they ever asked you about doing a set, like how they're doing D&D and stuff?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Different thing, but they asked me to write the story for the new Urza set that's coming out. (The Brothers' War, I think they just announced it last month.) And I couldn't do it, I just didn't have the time. But a Secret Lair is totally possible. That's something that we could probably do.

    It's just tricky because mechanically unique cards are divisive among the community, and so the question is: "Do we want a Secret Lair that just takes other cards and reskins them? Do we want to wait until there are cards that are being made that would match the characters, and then reskin those? Do we want to see how people receive the Lord of the Rings set, and if they really like it, then maybe they would do something Stormlight?" Something like that. I really kind of want to see how all of this plays out with the Secret Lairs and stuff, which I really like, but I know they're divisive in the community.

    Anyway, this is on everybody's radar, right? They're making fantasy properties into card sets. There's only a couple names that come up. It's Tolkien, then probably George, and Harry Potter, and then me, so they have talked to me. But a full set, there haven't even been talks about that. It's all just been like, "Hey maybe would you be interested?" That sort of thing. So don't hold your breath, but we'll see how the Lord of the Rings set goes.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1736 Copy

    Questioner

    I read a lot of the Star Wars books, and they have a timeline in the front of each book. I know that you mentioned that you don't want to force people to have to read them in a certain order. Is that something that you've ever thought of?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is. I've actually thought of starting to stick in the back of the book, a guide to the cosmere and stuff. It's just, finding the space for it in the books and all of that is tricky. I think we will eventually do it. But it's just one of the many things that I have to find time to do.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1738 Copy

    Erik02847

    If a listener were to Awaken something, would they imitate the listener or a human?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They would imitate the listener.

    Erik02847

    And would that change based off of their form?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It could slightly change based off their form. More likely it's just gonna about their culture and the way the person sees the world, but the way that the listener sees the world is changed based on their form, so yeah, it'll have an effect.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1743 Copy

    Questioner

    Because Zahel was especially Invested when he died, he became that other soul. Does that mean that Elend wasn't actually...?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Zahel is a special case. What happened with him is, on his planet, he was specifically chosen by the Shard to be Returned. That happens, you don't have to be specifically Invested for that. The god gives them that. Now, to become a Cognitive Shadow, which is what certain people in the cosmere are, you need a powerful amount, an enormous amount.

    Questioner

    So not the bead?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not just being a Mistborn, not just... he wasn't even close to being where he needed to be, if you want to end up as a Cognitive Shadow. You need to do some special hoops. We're talking, drawing forth the power of a Shard, or being endowed with the power of a Shard, or a certain number of Breaths would do it. There is a threshold that you could get, you're gonna end up as a Cognitive Shadow.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1745 Copy

    Tim

    Nightblood's intent is to destroy evil. Since it consumes Investiture, does it view Investiture as evil?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, it does not. Nightblood has trouble deciding what is evil. It is getting better, more and more, but it wouldn't view Investiture itself as evil.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1746 Copy

    Questioner

    Which series have you enjoyed writing the most?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Probably Wax and Wayne. It is just pure joy. I save up Wayne quotes for years, and then find places for them in the books.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1748 Copy

    Questioner

    Is Taln still part of the Oathpact?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Oathpact has been broken. There's a ghost of it in existence, fragments, but the death of Jezrien has broken the Oathpact. More than death, super death.

    Questioner

    Is that in the books? Should I know that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, he's at the end of Oathbringer, his soul gets sucked by the knife they give to Moash.

    Questioner

    I didn't know it ended the Oathpact though.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, that did break the Oathpact. If one of the Fused were to die, they would be reborn immediately. The Oathpact is a goner. They would have to form a new Oathpact, or something like that.

    Questioner

    Before it was broken, was Taln still involved with it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    FanX 2021 ()
    #1750 Copy

    Questioner

    Mistcloaks. Do they have sleeves?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They usually do not, but there are ones that do. Every mistcloak is built by the Mistborn, or commissioned, there's no standardized what a mistcloak even looked like, they're all kind of like individually built.