Recent entries

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14002 Copy

    link6112

    Where would you place Hoid on this scale: http://i.imgur.com/z9fwRP2.jpg

    If you have time, where would you place the other characters of your books on this?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Though I do like the D&D system conceptually--I think it leads to interesting discussions--one of the problems is that by putting a character into it, I would be making a value judgement upon their actions. Here's what I can say: If you asked Hoid himself, he'd probably say he was Neutral Good. The Sixteenth shard would argue that he's Chaotic Neutral. Frost would rationally argue him to be Chaotic Good, but there are those who even claim his motives far too selfish to be anywhere near "good," and probably deem him something akin to Neutral Evil.

    WeiryWriter

    Sixteenth Shard? Is this just a typo or a really stealthy dispensation of information?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sorry. Just a typo.

    Footnote: The scale linked is the Dungeons and Dragons alignment chart.
    #hoid
    Sources: Reddit
    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14003 Copy

    mooglefrooglian

    I was re-reading the prologues of WoK and WoR... and it seems like there's something wonky going on with the timelines.

    Szeth claims Gavilar left the feast hours before he started doing his work.

    Jasnah leaves the feast and finds Gavilar and Tearim. Gavilar mentions he's going to head back into the feast. Jasnah then has an adventure. She sees Ivory(?), speaks with Liss and two strange men, and then, what seems like a very short time later in her PoV hears the results of Szeth starting his job.

    There's no way it took her hours to walk down two flights of stairs, briefly "drown", and have two short conversations!

    Am I completely off base, or is there something going on here with Jasnah's perception of time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's less that, and more me (as the author) glossing over time passing with quick phrases like "after walking a short time" and the like.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14005 Copy

    zotsandcrambles

    Mr.T has his emotional intelligence inversely attached to his logical intelligence. in the physical realm, this means that on his emotional days, he is functionally a blithering idiot. The physical realm is more logic oriented, so that makes sense.

    However, would this inverted intelligence express itself DIFFERENTLY perhaps in the cognitive or spiritual realm? In the world of forms, emotion, and identity, could weepy/drooly Mr.T express some unique insight inside of Shadesmaar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is a theory with merit.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14006 Copy

    Argent

    When Sazed picked up the Shards of Preservation and Ruin, did he actively choose to be known as Harmony (instead of, for example, Balance, or Equilibrium, or Stability), or is there some Cosmeric law that says Preservation + Ruin = Harmony?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He chose the name, but in part because it FELT right to him.

    Argent

    Is this similar to how a Shard's "personality" overwrites the Shardholder's over time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Similar, yes.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14009 Copy

    mooglefrooglian

    You've previously mentioned that someone bonded to a Seon would get some benefits if they went to Roshar , basically that it would be treated sort of like a Nahel bond. This implies to me that something about Roshar likes to give powers from bonds. (Hi there, Honor...)

    Should this be taken to mean that spren-bond based Surgebinding won't work off-world, as it's a benefit Roshar gives from having a bond? Or would it be more specific, and mean that some of the passive benefits Radiants get (visions, Windrunner squire strengths) would be lost, but Surgebinding retained?

    Mainly I'm interested in whether or not we can reach maximum Jasnah levels and have the possibility of her appearing in non-SA books. I don't think she'd be much into worldhopping if she couldn't get back with the Travel Surge...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Surgebinding will work off-world.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14010 Copy

    GenericMastermindAnt

    Do both 'The Path' and Kelsier's religion have actual gods? I remember Sazed talking about Kelsier and Vin in whatever afterlife exists, but are Kel and Vin also proper gods or just dead hero mistborn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is discussed in the next books.

    Basically, you can look at it like Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism has gods, and many Buddhists don't deny those gods exist, but they follow a different path. Obviously, the doctrines and practices are not the same as those two religions, but the relationship is somewhat similar.

    It does get complicated in that Harmony doesn't particularly want to be worshiped, but people want to worship him anyway, and find ways to sidestep into religion. Survivorists worship the Survivor, but don't QUITE treat him like God.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14011 Copy

    Nazrax

    Are seasons on Roshar truly unpredictable, or have the storm wardens just not figured out how to predict them yet?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well, if you consider the planet to be a closed system, then nothing about the natural processes are TRULY unpredictable.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14012 Copy

    Nazrax

    Can Forgery rewrite someone's gender (after all, it's just swapping out an X for a Y ...)?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Forgery could do this, but it is a tad bigger a change than you imply. Think of it this way: It's much easier for the magic to pretend that a table was cleaned up and polished than it is for the magic to pretend the wood used to make the table instead was used to make a chair.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14014 Copy

    gossypiboma

    When communicating over spanreed, do you have to compensate for the curvature of the planet? For example, would communicating with someone on the other side of the planet result in upside down writing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Spanreeds auto-compensate when you activate them. Meaning, once you tap them on, they will follow the same pattern in relation to the writing board as the other one.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14017 Copy

    Jericho5589

    In regards to the time period each series takes place in. What time period is it during Mistborn whilst the other series are going on?(More specifically. Is it Wax during Stormlight? Or still Vin?)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Stormlight is closer to Wax than Vin, but takes place between the two.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14019 Copy

    focoma

    Are the Essences strictly just a Roshar thing, or are they also connected to the manifestations of Investiture on other Shardworlds? For example, is the Essence of Foil in any way connected to the Metallic Arts of Scadrial?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The idea that things exist on three realms is not unique to Roshar.

    That those things are self-aware is a Rosharan thing, though other places in the cosmere have similar beliefs.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14020 Copy

    WeiryWriter

    Does hair that is still attached to a person's head get cut if a Shardblade passes through it? If not, if that person had the Royal Locks could they change the color of the hair "below" the cut?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, hair gets cut. It counts as dead in my mind--but not to someone who has the Royal Locks. They could only change below, as you state, and wouldn't get their hair chopped off. (I'm not 100% sure on this, but I Think I've mentioned in Stormlight before that you can cut things like shells on living animals with a Shardblade, but then it doesn't cut the flesh.)

    WeiryWriter

    With the Royal Locks, the individual would be able to change the color in the bit between the cut and the scalp? (In my original question I had meant "below" to mean the bit between the cut and the end whereas your answer uses it the opposite, I think?)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Distance between scalp and cut, yes you can change that. Otherwise every time you got a haircut, you wouldn't be able to change the hair. Maybe I don't get your question.

    WeiryWriter

    So just for clarity's sake is the following correct:

    Let's say Siri's hair is two feet long. A shardblade passes through the hair exactly in the middle ("dividing" the hair into two one-foot sections). In your previous answer you said that while usually the shardblade would just sever the hair (leaving only a foot attached to the head) with the Royal locks the entire two feet would remain attached but only the foot on the "head" side of the cut would be able to change color.

    Thank you, I just want to make sure there is zero doubt in what is actually going on.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I did misinterpret your original question. As a shardblade cut is likely to be wider than a piece of hair, I doubt you could cut the royal locks lengthwise.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14021 Copy

    wackyHair

    What's the population of the shardworld's we've seen so far (even in very general terms, like one's much bigger than the others or something)?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Scadrial is certainly the least populated of the major shard worlds. Then Nalthis, I'd guess, followed by Roshar, and finally Sel--which likely has the largest population. I would have to look closely to see which is bigger between those last two.

    Phantine

    Does a population of about 100 million during The Final Empire (with 1-2 million in Luthadel), and around 15 million during Alloy of Law (with about 5 million in Elendel) seem right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Have to RAFO this for now, for reasons I can't explain without giving spoilers.

    Phantine

    How about as far as Elend/Wax knows, at the beginning of their respective series?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Then those numbers, if they're off, are at least close.

    faragorn

    Interesting that Sel has such a large population, given that the actual numbers of soldiers shown seem to be quite small.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Let's just say that Opelon has an inflated opinion of its own size in relation to the rest of the world.

    Footnote: The RAFO about the Scadrian population may be due to the existence of the Southerners, which had not been revealed as of this time.
    #elendel #luthadel #scadrial #sel
    Sources: Reddit
    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14022 Copy

    Sharadee

    I am going to shamelessly take advantage of the fact that you are still answering questions here (and wow ! thanks for that). It's about the sprens. Isn't it inconvenient in some social situations if sprens can give away people's emotions? For example, if someone is working hard to hide their anger and angersprens appear... Can people have any kind of control over them appearing ?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, it can be inconvenient. And you'll see more about this in future books.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14025 Copy

    KingSloth

    Does a Spinner Ferring have to be actively doing something to 'lose' fortune, while storing? Slightly worried that they'd end up giving themselves cancer or something if they were sat storing fortune, without doing something like playing cards to 'drain' the luck away from..

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14030 Copy

    yafeshan

    Scadrial will get to space age sometime in future, what about other worlds. Will we see space tech based on other magic systems, shiny space battles etc.? Did we see space age tech of a world in another main (roshar, sel, scadrial) world(conveniently excluding Sixth of Dusk world)?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The cosmere is heading this way eventually.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14031 Copy

    Argent

    How old would you say somebody has to be in order to attract a spren (with bonding intentions)? I can't imagine infants performing anything remarkable enough, but what about, say, 5-6 year olds? I could easily imagine them being selfless and protecting in their own little way - does this mean we can have children who can barely speak well Lashing their breakfast to the ceiling?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Someone like Lift is near the lower threshold, though it does depend on the spren in question.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14032 Copy

    minefieldpotato

    So, it's mentioned throughout the Mistborn books that Allomancers can 'see' their metal reserves to determine how much they have left. What allows them to do this? I really have no theories, except the boring one: 'It's an innate property of Allomancy and its interaction with Preservation.'

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's just an innate part of the magic. Not really because of Preservation. A Surgebinder will know when their stormlight is running out. It's more similar to how you might know your strength is running out when you're holding something heavy, though obviously more delineated.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14035 Copy

    psychomanexe

    I think that in the Spiritual realm a person's spiritweb sort of manifests as a collection of "nodes" which are the Forms of their body/mind/subconscious, and these nodes are connected by "lines" which are interactions between the pure Forms. These lines are what actually make up the person's character, how the body is "supposed" to be (barring accidents/disease, basically what magical healing attempts to restore the body to), as well as what interactions with investiture the person can use (what magic systems they have access to)

    Am I completely off base here or should I keep thinking about this?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is a good line to be thinking along.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14036 Copy

    uchoo786

    Has Vasher met Hoid, and are they BFFs?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not BFFs by a long shot.

    KingSloth

    Has Hoid seriously offended someone on EVERY planet he's been to? Kelsier, Shai, the Alethi nobility, who knows how many shards from Yolen, AND Vasher are all out for his blood..? :o

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's only a small fraction of the total list.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14037 Copy

    WeiryWriter

    To what extent are Cognitive shadows the same as the individuals they are shadows of? Do you count them as the same person or are they just a "copy" so to speak? Or is this a discussion for philosophers (which you've said is the case with the cosmere's "far afterlife")?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I've considered answering this a few times, and have decided I just have to RAFO it. This is a discussion for philosophers, as you've said. It may become a plot point in future books.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14038 Copy

    Enfeathered

    Assuming that the events of the first Mistborn book took place on Nalthis instead, and especially considering the circumstances of Kelsier's passing and the events afterwards, would he have Returned?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a very interesting question. Endowment can be somewhat...erratic. I don't know, honestly. I'd have to think about it.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14039 Copy

    bridge4shash

    Were the Plains originally shattered by a Dawnsinger? Are Dawnshard magical musical instruments? Are the Parshendi of Odium? Are the gods that the Parshendi abandoned Odium? Are the people above in Sixth of the Dusk Scadrians?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a whole pile of RAFOs. But I can answer one; the gods that the Parshendi abandoned are of Odium.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14044 Copy

    Chaos

    You have once said, with regard to a question about Shards being the most powerful thing in the cosmere, that some would say that other "subtle forces" are being manifest. Are these subtle forces related to Adonalsium's opposition?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is belief in a God who is not one of the Shards.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14047 Copy

    zotsandcrambles

    Is the silver on Threnody imbued with investiture? The presence of a silver knife in Stormlight leads me to believe Threnodoic Silver is actively different than average silver and Threnody's silver could be used off-world in a way - say - Sel's silver couldn't.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm RAFOing most questions about Threnody for multiple reasons. It's a RAFO you shouldn't read too much into, however.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14048 Copy

    Kurkistan

    If Investiture can neither be created nor destroyed, and Feruchemy is all fueled by the Feruchemist himself, then how do metalminds end up being invested without Feruchemists seeming to suffer any long-term loss of Investiture? If they're not "creating" the energy that's going into the metalminds, then where's it coming from?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The cosmere takes physics from our universe, and adds additional layers to it. Where we have energy and matter (simplified), the cosmere has additional building blocks that make reality. Investiture is one of these. It IS possible to change matter, to energy, to investiture, and back.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14049 Copy

    TheTetress

    Some of the characters (I think it was Sarene) in Elantris mention that the constellations in their part of the world look like Aons. This seemed kind of odd to me. How significant is this, and does it play a role in how accessing the AonDor works (or do they just love astronomy)?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The characters in Elantris claiming that constellations look like Aons is mostly akin to us thinking that constellations look like animals--if you're looking for patterns, you'll find them.