Recent entries

    Skyward release party ()
    #4752 Copy

    Questioner

    You used the Julia Set as a basis for the map of Roshar; Is there any meaning beyond it, using the Julia Set? Or is more, "This is striking to me-"

    Brandon Sanderson

    The meaning is my fascination as a layman with fractals and equations. It is supposed to mean something in world; that Roshar was grown with a mathematical equation.

    Questioner

    But not specifically that one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not specifically the Julia Set. You can't learn much from the Julia Set.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4753 Copy

    Questioner

    Do we ever get to see more of Threnody?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You should, if I can figure out when to get the Threnody novel in, it's going to be a lot of fun.

    Questioner

    Like you said earlier you are trying to finish some things--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Before I start new things. You wouldn't see it until Stormlight 5 is done, for sure.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4754 Copy

    Questioner

    When you pictured Kelsier in the Mistborn Series, did you see him as a Christlike figure?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He sees himself that way, I do not.

    Questioner

    And the church that follows up after him, is that more like *inaudible*

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is hierarchical like some Christian churches are, but it is not meant to reference any specific church. I do not personally see Kelsier as... he has a more inflated opinion of himself than I think he should have.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4756 Copy

    Wetlander

    Do you have a single name that you use to refer to all the singers, and the listeners, and the Parshmen: that entire species?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, I usually use listener, but that's a cultural thing. So, I don't right now.

    Wetlander

    I keep struggling with what to call them as a species, and eeehhh are they all singers? I mean they aren't really all singers.

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll settle on something eventually.

    Wetlander

    Okay, but we don't have anything right now.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.

    Skyward San Diego signing ()
    #4758 Copy

    Questioner

    From what I understand, Ruin and Preservation create the world together, and they created humanity as copies of the original humankind. So how did they give Allomancy to Scadrial?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. So the magic systems are kind of built into the setting and the world. And there are certain natural pathways that exist, in the same way there are certain natural pathways for them to create life. Which is my explanation for why life is so similar on all the different planets, is that they're following natural pathways, and these magics are kind of the same way. For instance, Lightweaving predates the Shattering of Adonalsium. A lot of these other things are suggestive of magics that existed before that were built around Adonalsium. They weren't 100% created by the Shards, but they also do have the Shards' influence on them.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4760 Copy

    Questioner

    If you had an AI like M-Bot with subroutines that simulate emotions, if it was written well enough, could it attract a spren?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will RAFO that for now, I have been asked it a bunch. Let's just say, AI in the cosmere are going to be an interesting thing to explore. We will explore that.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4761 Copy

    Questioner

    Both the languages described in Warbreaker and The Stormlight Archive contain a letter or glyph called the shash. Is that a consequence of both languages originating from a common root language on Yolen or is there something more complicated going on?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Less complicated.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4762 Copy

    Questioner

    Are the Unmade and the spheres that contain them only on Roshar or are they in other planets in the cosmere?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You need to rephrase that question a little bit. Ask me again, remembering there's a big difference between the Rosharan system and the rest of the cosmere. There's three planets in the Rosharan system.

    Questioner

    *Gestures* Particularly in these ones.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's possible that Unmade influence and existence would extend beyond Roshar.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4768 Copy

    JoyBlu

    Szeth Son-Son. When did his name change from Son to Son-Son.

    Brandon Sanderson

    When he was made Truthless.

    JoyBlu

    Do we know the time of when he was made Truthless? How long has he been Truthless since the [Prologue]?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I know, but I'm not confident enough, because I rely on Karen so much to fact check my numbers.

    JoyBlu

    Is it like a couple of years or a lot of years. Recent?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I would say recent, but that's also subjective and relative.

    JoyBlu

    Because if he's lived a thousand years, then a hundred years could...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, but he hasn't lived a thousand years.

    JoyBlu

    So, he's lived about thirty years...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mmhmm.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4771 Copy

    JoyBlu

    An epoch, is that a standardized set of time or relative?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is not a standardized set of time.

    JoyBlu

    So it could be variable like, when dad gets home from work til when leaves from work.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, that's not going to be one, but yeah... The epochs were way better defined in the original Way of Kings. I let them be more squishy.

    JoyBlu

    In the original Way of Kings, like a first edition?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, in the Prime, that I read from.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4772 Copy

    Questioner

    God-King versus God-King. Susebron versus Rashek, who comes out on top?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Rashek, probably.

    Questioner

    By a lot or a little?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, here's the thing. I think Susebron is at the disadvantage in almost every situation.

    Questioner

    Okay. How so?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Rashek has been alive longer. Rashek knows what he's doing. Rashek has martial training. Rashek has killed a lot of people, Susebron never has. Fewer scruples. His magic is way more combat-oriented. He can get out of range a lot easier. He has power emotional Allomancy, which Susebron would *inaudible*.

    Granted, he's got so much investiture, he may be able to shrug that off. But still, I would put Rashek at the advantage.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4773 Copy

    Questioner

    How do puns work with all-

    Brandon Sanderson

    How do what work?

    Questioner

    Puns, because they're speaking different languages?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, yeah, the books are in translation; you have to imagine I am the translator, and what I am doing is, I am searching for something in our language that best replicates what they said in their language. That is the same thing for things like Veristitalian and stuff like that that uses Latin in our world. That's indicating it's using a similar older language in their world to build the thing. So you have to understand Wit doesn't actually say that exact pun, he says something that is a pun that I translate into English into a similar pun.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4776 Copy

    Questioner

    On Roshar, if a Herald were to die, to not-really-come-back die, would it possible for someone to take up the mantle of that Herald?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You're gonna need to read and find out, because this is the first time that happened was at the end of Oathbringer.

    Questioner

    Because he is dead--

    Brandon Sanderson

    He is dead dead.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4778 Copy

    Khyrindor

    The lighthouse guy was Ire? In Oathbringer?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Khyrindor

    And he was the same Elantrian that they put in the Shardpool at the end of--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, he is the same person.

    Khyrindor

    And was he Ire before--

    Brandon Sanderson

    He was not before then.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4779 Copy

    Khyrindor

    So, I was hoping to get a confirmation on Mraize's age?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'd probably-- Well, what did I say before?

    Khyrindor

    Not sure, I was just asking the question.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay good, I didn't think that I had confirmed this. I'm going to RAFO it.

    Khyrindor

    Like, is he older than a normal person?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will RAFO it, yeah. Let's say though, that, though he has been off-world, he himself is a Rosharan.

    Khyrindor

    A Roshar native?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4780 Copy

    Khyrindor

    If the Ire had managed to get Preservation, what would Ruin's reaction have been to that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    *chuckles* What would Ruin have thought about that? I don't think Ruin would have been a fan.

    Khyrindor

    Would he have been able to deal with it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Deal with it? I can see potentials where he both could and couldn't deal with it. I do not-- I don't think the Ire were one hundred percent prepared for what they were trying to do. How about that?

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4783 Copy

    RandyD

    Can a Shard just--like, say someone is using their magic system--can they stop the power from them being able to use it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, that's a bit like stopping the laws of physics. So, while they can circumvent laws of physics and things like that, but if you wanted to stop someone from using magic, smiting them would be the efficient way of making that happen, if you are capable of it in the system.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4784 Copy

    RandyD

    We've seen, let's say, Ruin and Preservation talking to people--they have limitations on that. Do other Shards share these limitations?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are limitations-- All Shards have some interesting limitations that we will get into as we go.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4787 Copy

    Khyrindor

    Odium seems to have a bad track record when it comes to killing Shards. He was wounded versus Ambition, and he's trapped on Roshar. Yet, he's credited in killing Devotion and Dominion. My question is: was Autonomy significantly involved and would Odium have been able to do it on his own and still be okay to--

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. It is dangerous to attack a Shard with one Shard. Let's say that. And a wise Shard would try to avoid that confrontation unless there are specific reasons they think they would have an advantage.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4788 Copy

    Khyrindor

    Was Felt cosmere-aware during Era 1?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Khyrindor

    Was he directly involved in the interplanetary trade through the Pits?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He was involved. Whether directly is the right term or not I will not say.

    Khyrindor

    And is he part of the Seventeenth Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He has been a member of various different groups and had various different motivations over the years. I would not put him, right now, as a member of the Seventeenth Shard.

    Khyrindor

    As in, like, Stormlight Archive--

    Brandon Sanderson

    As of Stormlight Archive Era: Not a member of the Seventeenth Shard. Obviously--well, I won't go any further on that.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4789 Copy

    Questioner

    Did the game developers for the Witcher franchise get back to you?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They never did. I didn't expect them to, though. I was not calling them out. I was specifically just saying that if somebody asked me, I would. It's not like I was...I was trying to bury that. It went way bigger than I wanted to. But I think they already knew. I have made it clear to them I'd enjoy working with them.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4793 Copy

    Questioner

    In Mistborn Era 1, they don't...aluminum in real life can only really be refined through the use of electricity.

    Brandon Sanderson

    You can actually get it before that. For instance, Napoleon had a set of aluminum dinnerware that he gave to the really fancy guests. If you weren't fancy enough, you got the gold. So they could get it in elemental form without electrolysis or whatever the process is. You could get it, but you couldn't make it. It was extremely rare till the modern era.

    They have started to figure out that process in Mistborn, and it soon is going to become really common.

    Questioner

    Once aluminum is dirt cheap like it is--

    Brandon Sanderson

    That changes the world a whole bunch!

    Skyward release party ()
    #4794 Copy

    Questioner

    Do you play those [Blizzard games]?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. They tried to get me to write for them. Back before Overwatch became Overwatch, when it was their next MMO game, Titan, they brought me in and were trying to convince me. And they were good books, but I just could not spare the time.

    Skyward release party ()
    #4795 Copy

    Questioner

    How did Nightblood get from Warbreaker to Oathbringer.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He was carried.

    Questioner

    How?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO! He was carried by someone.

    Questioner

    What book will you have to read to find out?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will find out eventually. Nightblood, the sequel to Warbreaker will include some, Stormlight books will also include some.

    Skyward Seattle signing ()
    #4799 Copy

    Questioner 1

    Can people not from Roshar bond with spren and get the Shardplate and whatnot?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. Well, okay. You don't need me to RAFO on that. You have seen someone not from Roshar bond a spren. You have seen that much happen.

    Questioner 2

    We know for sure that Hoid is a Lightweaver.

    Questioner 1

    Do we know that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hoid has bonded a spren.