Recent entries

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13251 Copy

    argel1200

    Regarding Ashraven... Would it be correct to say that memories are part of the mind/CR aspect? Assuming so, was Shai forging a new CR aspect to in-effect reconnect Ashraven's Soul (SR) with his body (PR)? I was thinking this could explain how she got his mannerisms correct -- i.e. that those are timeless SR aspects, so she didn't really get those right but instead, the SR connection was re-established?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Regarding Ashrovan: The problem here is that I don't want to get too deep into these sorts of things, for reasons that I want aspects of the magic to remain subject to discussion for a while yet. Suffice it to say that when we talk about Returned and lifeless in Warbreaker sequels, you'll have more ammunition for understanding what happened in Emperor's Soul.

    Faera

    Ashraven, Ashrovan...it's Ashravan damnit. He didn't step up to become emperor just so you could get his name wrong. Gaotona is ashamed of you all DX

    Brandon Sanderson

    In the original language, the a/o is very similar. I always get them mixed up in the English, like when I try to write a慂sound from Korean in English.

    Either that, or I just couldn't decide which one I wanted when writing the book, giving Peter a headache as he had to go back and standardize them all. :)

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13252 Copy

    BeskarKomrk

    When you say Scadrial has an earth similar year, are you referring to the time it takes the planet to go around the sun? Or the year as people on the planet would measure it (e.g. Vin is fifteen years old when her brother leaves her)? Are these the same thing?

    While I'm here, a selection of related questions for you if you have the time:

    1. Did the length of a year (as measured by the people on the planet) change when Scadrial was moved by The Lord Ruler/Harmony?
    2. I've assumed that lengths of time given in the books use that world's time lengths. For example, the Reod happens ten Selish years before Elantris (which may not correspond exactly to Scadrian years or Earth years), or that the 4500 years between the prelude and the prologue of Way of Kings is in Rosharan years. Is this an accurate assumption?
    3. I've assumed in the past that all the major shardworld planets we've seen have roughly earth similar years. Can you confirm/deny this for any of them specifically? I'm especially interested in Sel and Nalthis. (Specific numbers would be ideal, but even a yes/no for any of the planets would be super super awesome!)

    Brandon Sanderson

    1. I mentioned in another post that I'll wait a bit to give you exact numbers, because I want to make sure Peter has run all the right calculations. But yes, changing the orbit had an effect on things--though official calendars didn't need to change, as they'd been used since before the original shift happened anyway. When we talk about 'Years' in the Final Empire, it's original (pre LR) orbit anyway. I knew I was going to go back to them later in the series, and when characters were actually aware of things like the calendar, it would be close to earth standard.

    2. Though, since you mention it, all numbers mentioned in their respective series are in-world numbers. This makes things tricky, as Rosharan years (with the five hundred days) are blatant enough to start the average reader wondering about these things.

    3. Mostly, Roshar is the big one (not in actual deviation--I think a Roshar year is only 1.1 Earth years--but in how the scope and terminology of the novel will make people start to notice and ask questions.) Other planets have deviations from Earth, but it's not as noticeable. We'll give specific numbers eventually. I promise.

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13255 Copy

    Yata

    In Oathbringer will we discover how the type of a gemheart is decided? (what polestone you will find once the gemheart is gathered) I have this doubt for months and probably is a really not relevant think but I have the constant feel of "I am missing something"

    Brandon Sanderson

    You're asking why certain species have emerald gemhearts, while others have a different type of gemstone?

    Yata

    In the end yes. Actually, I was even unsure if a specific species had a specific polestone as gemheart. In the books is never esplicity stated but (in-world) nobody ever asked what kind of polestone is retrieved after the death of a chasmfield (as if it was obvious fact) but I had not actually confirmations until now :)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Note that there are some species that vary. But many do not, which is what made chasmfiends so valuable.

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13256 Copy

    argel1200

    Have you ever considered giving Adolin more screen time and a better arc, similar to how Spook grew on you? There are a lot of die-hard Adolin fans that are really hoping he will get bumped up into a more important role?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO on that one.

    peleles

    Love Adolin! May we also see more style tips for Alethi men? lol I'm likely alone in that.

    Brandon Sanderson

    You'll be getting some more.

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13257 Copy

    Argent

    In the White Sand graphic novel, quite a few of the elements of the environment (e.g. rocks, clouds) look like faces (link). I find it hard to believe this is just a quirk of the artist, so can you tell us anything about why Taldain seems positively riddled with faces?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The faces are intentional. (Though they turned out more blatant in places than I'd have liked.)

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13258 Copy

    Argent

    Recently, somebody came up with a very clever theory about the meaning of The Way of Kings endsheet, and I liked it very much. I suspect you want to keep most of that a secret, but maybe you can answer this also vague question - is there another chart, in-world, similar to the ones on frontsheet and endsheet, that we haven't seen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm afraid that the first one is RAFO territory. Let me point out that most charts in Cosmere books are human attempts at understanding the world. There are fundamental principles to them, but also human groupings and perspectives worked in.

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13259 Copy

    Orang3dragon612

    In the 1900's world of Mistborn, what would a comic book super hero look like? I'm guessing at some point someone will come up with the medium, but in a world full of super powers (that seem "normal" to the people), what would a super hero look like? A full Mistborn? Someone who could fly without metals? Maybe someone who could only be killed by someone who didn't fear them? ;)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Westerns took off as comics, instead of superheroes, on Scadrial as the dominant graphic story form. The idea of "Superhero" doesn't really exist to them, though you could find analogues in their storytelling--it's just not a distinct genre.

    BeskarKomrk

    This reminds me a lot of Watchmen, and how pirate comics were very popular in that world instead of superhero comics. Are you a fan of that graphic novel by chance?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm a big fan, and the Black Freighter is an unabashed influence here. It sent me into reading the backstory of comics, superheros, the strong man, and things like the comic code--which I found fascinating. As Mistborn Era Three has a protagonist who is a code monkey involved in Scadrial's nerd culture, I knew I'd need to have some foundation in this sort of thing in order to do it in an authentic way.

    Instead of broadsheets or sketchbook pages, the Era Three art inserts will be pages of in-world comics.

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13261 Copy

    Mat_alThor

    Just finished a trip to Zion and Bryce National Parks; did those parks and the surrounding area influence the Shattered Plains? Really felt like I should be looking for gemstones and watching out for chasmfiends while cayoneering.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, they were a big influence. In college, one of my roommates (Micah Demoux, for whom I named Captain Demoux) was a photographer, and he took me on many nature photography trips in southern Utah. Roshar is a direct outgrowth of this.

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13263 Copy

    usuyami

    With all the linguistic elements in Stormlight, how much have you done in the way of mapping out the linguistic history of Roshar, ie deciding that this modern language descends from this older language, which descends from that ancient language that also gave rise to all these other languages, etc.?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I've done a surprising amount of this. The linguist in me slipping out. The vowel shifts are one of my favorites.

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13264 Copy

    PyroSkink

    Is each book in this series a focus on a particular character? Did I read that somewhere?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Each one has a flashback sequence dedicated to a certain character, and a plot that has something to do with the flashback sequence. I do this to help differentiate them, and we sometimes call it "their" book--but that's a little of a misnomer, as the main plot may not revolve around the flashback sequence. It will simply relate to it.

    PyroSkink

    Ah right. It was Kaladin then Shallan, next is Dalinar? Or is it Szeth?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This one is Dalinar most likely. Then (probably) Eshonai, then Szeth. Unless I swap those two.

    Back five are Lift, Renarin, Ash, Taln, Jasnah. Not necessarily in that order. (Though that is the planned order right now.)

    I do have to give my standard disclaimer. Someone getting a flashback sequence does not indicate they survive until that book. I'm fully willing to flashback to a character who died in an earlier volume. So that isn't as much of a spoiler as it seems.

    And Taln is defined as "The man who thinks of himself as the Herald Taln, and whose viewpoint we got briefly in Words of Radiance."

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13265 Copy

    yahasgaruna

    The plan to have each book focused on one order is still on, right? Does that mean Book 3 will focus on the Bondsmiths or the Skybreakers depending on whether Dalinar or Szeth are the flashback focus? And what about the book focused on Ash, since she was the Herald of Shallan's order? Am I right in assuming that book will focus on the Dustbringers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. :)

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13266 Copy

    yahasgaruna

    You know, I seem to recall that one of your original pitches for The Way of Kings was that it's the story of a man on whom the fate of the world lies, except unlike the Dragon Reborn, who goes slowly mad, this guy is already mad. I always assumed (or maybe you'd said it explicitly?) that this was Taln (the original Herald). Has that characterization changed? Or am I remembering something that never happened?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If I said something like that, I was talking about Taln.

    Stormlight Three Update #4 ()
    #13267 Copy

    arichards117

    When someone is "killed" by a Shardblade, their soul is understood to be severed. What do Vorin practitioners believe happens to the soul if it is severed? Does this mean that the soul cannot go to the Tranquiline Halls? If this is the case, why are Shardbearers/Blades so revered rather than feared or hated?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Vorin belief doesn't take being killed by a Shardblade as destroying the soul, likely because of Knight Radiant traditions.

    The Well of Ascension Annotations ()
    #13271 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think Tindwyl has a lot of good points in her training. Some people rebel against the things she says, but I think that she has a good idea of what makes a leader. Or, at least, one kind of leader.

    The problem is, that isn't the only kind of leader that works. Still, in my mind, she knows that she HAS to be like that in order to react against Elend's frivolousness.

    The Well of Ascension Annotations ()
    #13272 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    We get to see a bit of depth from both Breeze and Tindwyl in this chapter. As I said earlier, I can't really spend the time to round out everyone on the crew, so I have to pick carefully. Breeze is one of my favorites, so I decided to work a bit with him in this book. As you'll find out later in the book (when we get a few Breeze viewpoints) he's actually a full-blooded nobleman. It's not really that important to the story; it's just part of who he is.

    Breeze has made a life and a reputation out of hiding his feelings behind his attitude. I likes looking like a scoundrelā€“not only does it let him get away with a lot of random things, but it also keeps people from poking too far into his past. There are a lot of skaa thieves who would react very poorly if they discovered that Breeze wasn't really one of them, but a nobleman who was forced to seek refuge in the underground.

    The Well of Ascension Annotations ()
    #13273 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    Also, we get to see here that Zane already has his fingers on Vin's emotions. She's beginning to question and doubt. This, however, isn't a quick changeā€“you should realize that all of these questions were already there inside of her. Not only is she a teenage girl, and living during an emotionally volatile part of her life, but she grew up learning to distrust and fear betrayal. Though she's getting better, the old worries are all still there, and even a little bit of scratching at them reveals them again.

    She never really had to confront these things. Falling in with the crew, learning to trust, was actually easy in the last book. Kelsier was there to make everything work out all right, and Vin was always underneath the watchful care of Sazed.

    This book is about making her face these things directly.

    The Well of Ascension Annotations ()
    #13274 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    Chapter Twenty

    Elend is already progressing nicely as a king. There's a lot more time passing in here than I'm showingā€“lots of training and lessons. One of my worries is that Elend will develop too quickly. However, considering the situation he's in, I suspect that he knows he has to either adapt quickly or be destroyed. A few tense months can really change a person a lot.

    The Well of Ascension Annotations ()
    #13275 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    Chapter Twelve

    This chapter is meant to be our "pay off" chapter for the time we've invested into Sazed over the last few chapters. I, personally, think it's the coolest chapter in this section of the book.

    Feruchemy really turned out well as a magic system, and I'm glad I found a place for it in this book. It connects with Allomancy perfectly; I'm actually surprised at how well they go together. (As you may recall, I originally tried out Feruchemy in a book I now call Final Empire Prime.)

    Here, you finally get to see some REAL Feruchemical tricks. Sazed can do so much more than just make himself strong (like he did in book one) or memorize things. If you think about it, there are an awful lot of things that can be done to intertwine Allomancyā€“with its Pushes and Pullsā€“and Feruchemy, where a person can increase or decrease their weight.

    Arcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing ()
    #13277 Copy

    Questioner

    In the new novella for the Stormlight Archive. <Edgedancer.>

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mhm?

    Questioner

    When she gets the cart over the edge of the ledge, it mentions that there was black sand on the ground? Was that Hoid, or...?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That was not Hoid.

    Questioner

    Was that due to what she did, or...?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That was Wyndle.

    Questioner

    Okay, he left black sand?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, his, uh-- he decayed into dust.Ā 

    Questioner

    Okay.

    Brandon Sanderson

    And so...

    Questioner

    Okay. Wondering if it was related toĀ White Sand.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There's something going on there. But no, it is not the white-- it is not sand. I should be careful about use the word sand, particularly black sand. But I was just thinking of Wyndle with that one.Ā 

    Questioner

    Okay, okay.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is a false positive on the cosmere connection.

    Stormlight Three Update #2 ()
    #13278 Copy

    HarveyJYogscast

    Something I've been wondering: are you intentionally alternating between male and female main characters through the whole series? Because I believe I remember reading that Eshonai will be book 4 and Szeth will be book 5.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, I'm alternating intentionally. It's a pattern I don't feel slavish toward, so if the next book doesn't work for Eshonai but works for Szeth, I'll break the pattern. But the originally outline alternated through all ten.

    NotOJebus

    What happens if you write the next book for one, but then Book 5 doesn't work with the person you have left? Will you change the book so the flashbacks suit it or will you change the flashbacks to suit the book?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'll deal with that when (if) it happens. I suspect either is possible, though I could also just decide to do a different character, if I feel it makes the story work the best.

    Firefight Atlanta signing ()
    #13280 Copy

    Questioner

    She wanted to know, the safehand, is it always the left hand or is it--

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is.

    Questioner

    That's what I thought, she thought it was just the non-dominant hand.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Nope, it is the-- So it's rough on lefties. But remember, most non-nobles they just wear a glove, so it's not such a big deal for them. It's when you're noble and left handed that you kind of have a problem.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13282 Copy

    mooglefrooglian

    Why is Hoid’s color aura from his Breaths not noticed by anyone on Roshar? Are the characters just not used to noticing that sort of thing, or does he not have one?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are a mixture of reasons. Not the least is Hoid's control over Investiture.

    uchoo786

    Would someone with Breath be able to notice his aura on Roshar? E.g. Vasher?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Various methods of detecting Investiture would still work, depending on how good a job Hoid is doing of suppressing his.

    A Memory of Light Milford Signing ()
    #13292 Copy

    Viper (paraphrased)

    The gemhearts/stormgems/whatever that are grown inside the beasts inĀ Way of KingsĀ ... is that the same as the way atium is grown inside geodes in the Pits of Hathsin?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    It's similar. The Pits are an area where there's like a leak from the Spiritual Realm into the Physical. That's what happens there.

    Arcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing ()
    #13293 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    There was a point when the Heralds didn't need to draw Stormlight from gems, although the Stormlight-in-gems predates Honor's arrival.

    There was a following conversation about this topic, about how a lot of the elements were there before Honor arrived, but he co-opted them. So, Stormlight were there, but there are big differences now.

    Arcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing ()
    #13296 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    He said ettmetal is chemically reactive, not nuclear.

    The longer answer makes it sound like Harmonium isn't a Lerasium/Atium alloy, but a whole new metal. He described it as "super-cesium," and that its volatility was based on electrons, not on protons or neutrons.

    "It is not unstable, it is reactive. So it's like a "super-cesium". It reacts so violently..."

    Fantasy Faction interview ()
    #13299 Copy

    Fantasy Faction

    Someone from Earth is about to be sent off to the cosmere. They've read your first Stormlight book, but they've never really taken time to really dig deep and find out about how it sits in the overall "cosmere", so they're totally unprepared. What basic concepts regarding shards, magic systems and world hopping do you think are most important?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The first, most important thing to say to the person who's being sent there is to enjoy the story you're in. All of the cosmere stuff, the interconnection between my books and all these wonderful little things, are right now mostly Easter eggs. Which means that if you spend the whole book only worried about that, you're going to miss the beauty and fun that is the book that you're part of. I often say to people, don't worry if you read them "out of order," because it's all Easter eggs right now. Don't worry and stress if you miss something about the cosmere, because while someday that might be important, you first need to enjoy the book that you're part of. But the primer I'd give to this person is that the worlds are connected. If you show up on a planet and there's a guy named Hoid around, then be very afraid, because you're someplace very dangerous.