Recent entries

    Children of the Nameless Reddit AMA ()
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    NPDgames

    What plane would you LEAST want to set a story on?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hmmm. You know, I hadn't even thought of that. I don't really think any of the settings are bad, and most are quite good. Probably something like the Arabian Nights plane, as I think there would be a lot of problems with trying to do a story like that--not the least of which being Wizards probably hating the idea.

    Children of the Nameless Reddit AMA ()
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    mbue

    I understand that your novella will stand very well on its own, but I'm sure there will be references to existing lore. Could you point out any existing MtG novels that would particularly increase our understanding and enjoyment of some details in yours?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Davriel is partially a contrast to Liliana, a main-line character who also has had dealings with demons (but has done it much differently...) and who is a necromancer (exactly of the sort Davriel would hate.) I think reading about her might make for a fun contrast. She's heavily involved in the previous Innistrad story, which you might enjoy if you liked this one. You can find it on Wizards site: https://magic.wizards.com/en/content/shadows-over-innistrad-story

    General Reddit 2019 ()
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    Pathian Symbol Fanart.png

    Nixeris

    [image of Pathian symbol concepts]

    Brandon Sanderson

    You're right in that I don't have an official version; I haven't had Isaac take the time to do one yet. (I tend to keep him busy with loads of things.) I'd say these are very nice, and along the lines of what I was considering--but I don't have a full decision on what I want yet. We might have to wait a little longer for a canon answer, but I do think these are close to what I'll eventually want.

    General Reddit 2017 ()
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    Peter Ahlstrom

    The first three [Stormlight] books are a continuous narrative, but it's now looking like there will be an in-world gap between books 3 and 4, similar to the year that was skipped between each book in the Mistborn trilogy.

    Drathus

    Even with that, isn't the plan for SA for it to be two related five-book arcs with more of a major gap in between?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Yep. Previously I thought that would be the only timeline gap, but Brandon has leaned more toward this new gap while writing Oathbringer.

    General Reddit 2017 ()
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    Peter Ahlstrom

    Rights to the Reckoners books do not include the entire multiverse. (Which I have argued could also be construed to include the Alcatraz books and The Rithmatist!)

    WeiryWriter

    I'd be curious to hear your argument for that. Is it just that a true quantum multiverse would contain all possible iterations (even weird and wacky ones like Alcatraz and Rithmatist) or is there some underlying mechanical commonality we don't necessarily know about?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    It's only because the plans for this as-yet-unnamed multiverse all involve different versions of Earth in some type of crisis. And that description fits both The Rithmatist and the Alcatraz books.

    Brandon does plan some of these Earths to be pretty wacky.

    WeiryWriter

    Since you mention its namelessness, will it actually get a name at some point?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    It would surprise me if it didn't get a name eventually.

    vim_vs_emacs

    Had never heard about this, but this fits so well! Is this the first time you're confirming it? Or is there WoB on this as well?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    What I said above was that I have argued for this to be the case. It doesn't mean that Brandon agrees.

    General Reddit 2016 ()
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    Phantine

    I believe /u/peterahlstrom mentioned that Mistings can only detect sufficiently close versions of their metal, and burning non-Allomantic stuff is a Mistborn-only risk.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    I don't remember saying that, though it sounds reasonable.

    Except I don't know what happens when you start involving god metals. How important is the alloy percentage then?

    General Reddit 2016 ()
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    sheesania

    Shallan's comment in Words of Radiance that she's "five foot six inches" jerks me out of the story every time, particularly because I'm used to the metric system. I understand in my head how Sanderson is translating for the readers whatever Rosharan measures she actually used...but it's still jarring whenever I actually come across it while reading.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Measuring by foot was extremely common in our world. Many European countries had their own standard foot. It just makes sense that humans would measure by feet.

    The Vorin foot probably has 10 inches.

    General Reddit 2016 ()
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    Phantine

    By the way, if all noble-era Allomancers got some fight training, does that mean a lot of Coinshots and Lurchers got really fat, so they had more weight for their pushes?

    Or would that be like, too blatant a clue that someone was an Allomancer?

    ... I'm now thinking of a scheme where a non-Allomancer noble member has to get super fat in a month so his house can bluff that they have more Coinshots than they do.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Hah, good question. I don't think that's what happens. After all, many of them hide what they are in order to keep opponents guessing. If it were too obvious, that wouldn't work.

    General Reddit 2016 ()
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    emailanimal

    There was a dispute between /u/mistborn and /u/PeterAhlstrom, and last we have heard, the latter, claiming that Hoid was indeed somewhere in the Shadows for Silence, had the upper hand.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Now I'm siding with Brandon on this. I think that's the final answer. :)

    emailanimal

    What you are basically saying is that some people quietly sitting in the corners of various bars, pubs, inns and taverns in Brandon's books are not mysterious nearly immortal worldhoppers... (-:

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Or they might be different mysterious worldhoppers than the one you're looking for.

    General Reddit 2016 ()
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    Alphaetus_Prime

    In Alloy of Law, Wayne says he read a book with talking rabbits, which is referenced again in Bands of Mourning. I'm all but certain this is a reference to Watership Down. In Bands of Mourning there's a bit where Wayne says he read a book where seven convicts stole a spaceship or something, and it's clearly a reference, but I'm not sure what it's a reference to. Does anyone know? Preliminary Google searches turned up only a TV show called Blake's 7, which seems unlikely to be the reference, since it's not actually a book.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Both of these are references to books that exist on Scadrial, not our world. Watership Down is not the only book (even in our world) from the point of view of rabbits. (Don't forget Rabbit Hill!)

    AstroZombieDC

    I believe you when you say that there are books about talking rabbits on Scadrial, but at one point in the Wax & Wayne books, they make a reference to talking rabbits, and then the word "fiver" is used. Fiver is one of the characters in Watership Down. Brandon is definitely using a play on words to reference a classic novel from our world.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Oh yeah. I forgot the fiver thing. Nevertheless, it could be a complete coincidence, because talking like that is consistent with Wayne's character. :)

    General Reddit 2016 ()
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    Ben McSweeney

    Peter, are there no Misting hazekillers? If not, is there a proper term for noble Mistings trained to fight Allomancers?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Well, I thought for sure there was a scene where one of the hazekillers turned out to be a Coinshot, but now I can't find it. Maybe that was in an earlier draft of one of the books...

    Anyway, there's no term for that—it's just Allomancer. All Allomancers (trilogy era) are trained to fight unless they're the mental ones.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
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    Tahona1125

    Is there any chance White Sand the novel ever gets revised and published? I'm not sure if there is a place for both the novel and graphic novel, but I really enjoyed the read.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Well, Brandon said it's not outside the realm of possibility, but I hope he doesn't. The first draft of White Sand is already nearly 20 years old at this point. Nowadays, Brandon has better ideas. He has plenty of things to write that he's excited about. He has already written White Sand twice, and I think it would be hard for him to get excited about it, and his excitement translates into a good book.

    Assuming the three volumes sell well enough to warrant continuing the story, then Brandon could get excited about outlining the sequel to get adapted into more volumes.

    And, since it's the Cosmere, you can be assured that sand masters will show up when all the planets start interacting with each other.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
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    Judean_peoplesfront

    I'm currently on a reread of WoK and in chapter 57 Hoid says to Kaladin: "I've many [names]. I began life as a thought, a concept, words on a page. That was another thing I stole. Myself."

    Do we know if this is Hoid breaking the fourth wall or is it just some kind kind of metaphorical reference to his presence at the birth of the Shards?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    The simple answer is that this does not break the fourth wall, but we won't find out why until years from now. So it's understandable that you would interpret it this way.

    firstRainbowRose

    Can we have a hint as to which book will explain it?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Probably Hoid's origin story, which Brandon is writing after he finishes Stormlight 10.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
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    Peter Ahlstrom

    It was Meridas [dual-wielding Shardblades in Way of Kings Prime], but this never actually came up in the book itself. It was just Brandon's headcanon. Would have happened in a sequel or something. Though, something about this is implied, if you read the chapters in Altered Perceptions, because of the way Shardblade bonding worked in that draft.

    Meridas was kind of part-Amaram, part-Sadeas, part-...I dunno, Vstim? His personality was most like Sadeas, but he was a trumped-up merchant who wanted to marry Jasnah.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
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    Poser1313

    Does anyone understand what [Brandon] means in saying that dead Shardblades cannot heal the soul, whereas living ones can?

    It seems like it's been a while since I've read WoR, and I can't make out how the original scene demonstrates this? Is he talking about Kaladin's soul or Szeth's?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    I don't understand it myself, except that two Orders can use Regrowth. But that might not be what Brandon is talking about.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
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    abriggs08

    I just read Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell in the Dangerous Women anthology. Having the knowledge that this is a story set in the Cosmere is anyone aware if Hoid (aka Wit) is in this story? I'd imagine that he isn't as its not a novel worthy plot but I was just curious.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Yep. Hoid is in there. Brandon just forgot, but we talked about it and he remembered. Hoid had to have a reason for being there. And there is a reason.

    General Reddit 2019 ()
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    0pointenergy

    I am re-reading through Elantris for the second time and I am at the part where Raoden and Galladon are trying to find out who Shaor is. They sneak around and find a little girl in a pink dress and golden hair yelling, "Bring me more food." To top all of this off, Raoden is trying to remember her name something like Soine (Sō - īne) or swine........or Miss Piggy....

    Did you do this on purpose /u/Mistborn ? Or is it just a really hilarious coincidence?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is a coincidence, I'm afraid, but an amusing one.

    General Reddit 2019 ()
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    aldeayeah

    In my mind [Kelsier] was Blue-Black before the Pits and picked up Red after that.

    You could make the case for White I guess but IMO even though he has this small group/community around him, he's too much "f*** the law" to be white.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I wouldn't generally make Kelsier white. I tend to make him blue black in my head, though there are good red arguments. (He lets his love of Mare override his logical conclusions that she probably betrayed him, his last encounter with Vin is him arguing about the importance of being a good friend, etc.) In fact, the red portion of him is probably the best in him--though it is also part of what drives him to kill ruthlessly.

    General Reddit 2019 ()
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    Adalimumab8

    Please make this [Warbreaker Chinese cover] available on your store!!! I want a print of this so badly, I already have enough of your stuff on my wall to drive my wife insane but she like this one shined read warbreaker too!!!

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would like to offer a pack of all the Chinese covers, sized to be placed on American hardcovers--so I'm ahead of you on this one.

    General Reddit 2019 ()
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    NeoBahamutX

    Not sure how many people would buy it but it would be amazing if he created an Ars Arcanum Compilation book and released it as a stand alone Hardcover reference style book.

    Could be broken down per cosmere system (sort of like Arcanum Unbounded) and go into more details of the various magic systems, charts and the like. Sort of like the Hemalurgy Chart in the Hero of Ages leatherbound.

    Thoughts?

    Edit just realised the perfect cover could have possibly already been designed - see the book on the cover of Arcanum Unbounded - that white cover with the gold Cosmere symbol is awesome

    Brandon Sanderson

    I've really considered doing this, particularly since there are a lot of worlds in the cosmere I don't know if I'll ever be able to do books for. So we will see, /u/NeoBahamutX. It would have to be something I do primarily for the hardcore fans, which would limit the publisher's interest--but I'm at the point where I can get them to do projects like that to keep me happy.

    General Reddit 2014 ()
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    Aethy

    Aether of Night was cannibalized; it's no longer going to be released. Apparently some of the concepts were taken and worked into other books, so it's no longer publishable.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Actually it might be un-cannibalized. Some concepts went into Liar of Partinel, but now that book won't ever happen in that form. So there could still be one or more Aether books in the future. But it would be a ground-up rewrite like happened with Mistborn and Stormlight.

    WeiryWriter

    Wait, really? That's pretty big news, even just possibility of it happening. I presume the Shards of the world would change then? Since Decay got reworked to be Ruin and such?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Yeah, Decay is essentially Ruin, so lots of things would change there. But the magic of the Aethers, especially, could get their own book later.

    There is a reason that Aethers are already canon. I don't think anyone has figured that out yet. But the backstory Brandon gives them could change in the future, or could end up never materializing.

    General Reddit 2014 ()
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    tatu_huma

    Nightwielder's weakness is UV light. When David shines the UV flashlight on his shadows/mist, they disappear. So how does he block out the sun, since the sun is a giant UV light. Wouldn't the UV rays from the sun just destroy his shadows that he covers Chicago with.

    Does that mean the shadow he uses to cover Newcago, is different from the shadows he uses to attack David. I think I remember the shadows he used to attack being dissolved by the UV light.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    Some of the Epics' powers have macroeffects and microeffects. What is effective against the micro may not be effective against the [macro].

    General Reddit 2014 ()
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    sectoidfodder

    I've wondered whether the portraits in chapter headings have some deeper significance.

    Some of them correspond well to the contents of the chapters...

    • "The Four" is the first chapter to have four different portraits - Jezrien, Ash, Ishar, and Pailiah, representing the Radiant orders that Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, and Renarin belong to, respectively.

    • Vedel's portrait appears before Ym's and Lift's interludes (this suggests that Ym's other power was abrasion, just like Lift).

    • Battar's portrait for Jasnah's pov prologue; Battar's and Wit's portraits for the epilogue where Jasnah and Wit are the only characters.

    Most others just seem random/unrelated:

    • Kaladin's earliest chapters in WoK were headed by Taln's portrait.

    • Eshonai's and Szeth's interludes have a variety of different Herald portraits, seemingly at random.

    • Taln's own interlude features Wit and Chach, of all things.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    The correspondence can be from any column on the essences table in the Ars Arcanum, or a few columns that are not on the publicly revealed table.

    Phantine

    Is there a row for when Hoid's portrait will show up?

    Peter Ahlstrom

    They are not actually portraits of those characters. But there's not a row for the Masked Man.

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Brandon Sanderson

    Games and Other Licensed Work

    Music

    Black Piper's Kaladin album has been shipping its physical rewards for backers, and are finishing up the last steps of their Kickstarter. I'm very pleased with the music, which you can find on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon MP3, and many other digital outlets. I think they did a great job, and suggest that it would make a great accompaniment to your next Stormlight reread. Due to the complexities of fitting in the album around the windows for some of our other licenses, if you're interested in owning this we'd encourage looking at it before year-end.

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Brandon Sanderson

    Games and Other Licensed Work

    Coins

    Shire Post, creator of many fantasy-themed coins for various different properties, did a very successful Kickstarter for Mistborn coinage, and I’m quite pleased with both their professionalism and artistry. We here at Dragonsteel did the designs so that they’d be 100% in continuity with the books. We’re looking at doing more with Shire Post in the future.

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Brandon Sanderson

    Games and Other Licensed Work

    Board Games

    We'll keep looking at doing more board games. The Reckoners game, from Nauvoo Games, and Mistborn: House War, from Crafty Games—who also developed the Mistborn Adventure RPG—all of which turned out very well, and (equally important) were shipped in a reasonable timeframe to the backers on Kickstarter. We had a Stormlight game in the works, but have backed up a few steps on that one for various reasons. I hope to have one of those finished at some point. You may have seen my announcement from a few months ago, but we've partnered with Brotherwise Games to bring you the Call to Adventure: Stormlight expansion that should be out fall of 2019. I would also be interested in doing a deckbuilding card game based on my works eventually. (After all, you know how addicted I am to Magic: The Gathering.)

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Brandon Sanderson

    Games and Other Licensed Work

    I'm interested in doing some more video game work. Ever since I got to be part of the Infinity Blade games, I've had the itch to do this again. Right now though, there is nothing in the works that I can announce—I've had some short preliminary conversations with game studios, but no contracts. I'll continue to look at doing this, and will announce what I can, when I think something might actually be happening.

    Unfortunately, Mistborn: Birthright never came together. (Though I'm on very good terms with the folks there.) And you can ignore any rumors about CD Projekt Red. Some fans got hyped when I said I liked them as a studio—and some news sites even picked it up as a story, for some reason. But that was just me mentioning in a random post that I think they do good work. I've never met with them—or talked to them—and have no reason to believe they even know who I am.

    Video games aside, we do have some exciting and fun licensed properties that we've been working on, and I figured I should have a section in the State of the Sanderson for updates on these.

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Movie/Television Updates

    Bonus Mention: The Wheel of Time

    As The Wheel of Time does not belong to me, I like to be careful about what I do and say with it. I don't want to overstep my bounds. But for those who haven't been paying attention, this series has progressed into a full-blown green light at Amazon Studios—with actual episodes being written and filming soon starting.

    I don't know what role, if any, I'll have in this. Like I said, I like to be respectful of Team Jordan. It's not my place to try to muscle in and pretend I'm in charge. At the same time, I do think I could offer something to the production, and the showrunner (who is quite sharp) has reached out to me multiple times for conversations about the adaptation. I'm impressed with everything I see, and hope to at the very least be able to pop over to the set when filming happens and grab some photos for you all.

    For most of my own properties, I'd say to not hold your breath. I think they'll happen eventually, but you shouldn't start to get hyped up until Step Five happens for something. Well, we're past Step Five with the Wheel of Time, and you can officially begin to feel hyped. It's actually happening, and it looks great so far.

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Brandon Sanderson

    Movie/Television Updates

    Stephen Leeds/Legion

    The Stephen Leeds stories have recently been optioned for a television series by a new production company. This is the property's third time being picked up for an option, so I'm hopeful we'll make it work this time. I don't believe the company has been announced officially yet, so we'll hold off on mentioning them for now. But we're probably in the middle of Step Two for this one.

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Brandon Sanderson

    Movie/Television Updates

    Steelheart

    The Reckoners series was optioned some years ago now by 21 Laps, Shawn Levy's company, using backing from Fox. We were happy when they renewed their option this past summer, as we weren't certain what the status of this would be in light of the Fox–Disney merger. It seems they're planning to take the Reckoners with them through the process, which is good news.

    This was an exciting deal, as Mr. Levy has done some great work—including the film Real Steel, which was an excellent adaptation of the original story. (And, of course, he was heavily involved with Stranger Things on Netflix.) Beyond that, it came with the implicit promise of support from Fox, meaning that we could skip the "finding a studio" step. That said, this is still in the screenplay stage.

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Brandon Sanderson

    Movie/Television Updates

    The Cosmere

    DMG Entertainment optioned the rights to the Cosmere, and they have been wonderful to work with. They commissioned screenplays for The Emperor's Soul, Mistborn, and The Way of Kings. They're currently in Step Three above, trying to get studio interest for the properties. Mostly, they've been pitching Mistborn as a film series and The Way of Kings as a television series.

    Likely, the success of things like the new Lord of the Rings show and the Kingkiller Chronicles will influence how this goes in the future.

    State of the Sanderson 2018 ()
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    Brandon Sanderson

    Movie/Television Updates

    Snapshot

    It might be odd to see this one at the top of the list, but I think right now the best chance we have at a film would be one based on my story Snapshot. MGM announced their option of the rights almost two years ago, which is great—because it meant that we already had studio backing, cutting out one of the steps in the process. The producers were impressive in their enthusiasm, and they jumped right into commissioning a screenplay with a very talented writer.

    I've read the screenplay, and consider it the best I've ever read based on one of my books. It helps that Snapshot itself is a shorter work, more easily adapted to a film. The Snapshot screenplay is an improvement on my story in virtually every way, something that I discovered with both joy and a little bit of shame. (Really, the screenwriter did some things with the story I probably should have figured out myself.)

    With this great screenplay, I hope there will be a lot more good news to share really soon.