Orem Signing

Event details
Name
Name Orem Signing
Date
Date March 16, 2019
Location
Location Orem, UT
Entries
Entries 89
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#1 Copy

Questioner

Can Hemalurgy be used to steal other...like, the Stormlight...

Brandon Sanderson

It could. It's very complicated, particularly with surgebinding, because the bond with the spren is a voluntary thing. So, you could steal the power, but you would also be stealing the sprenbond which the spren then has autonomy over. So, it might not turn out really well for you. It might not turn out well for anyone involved. Much easier to steal things where there isn't an autonomous being involved in your gaining of the magical powers.

#2 Copy

Questioner

Is there an exact date when the final book of the Alcatraz series is coming out?

Brandon Sanderson

Not an exact date. It's about, at this point, about three quarters done. I wrote about half of it. And I'm cowriting the other half with a friend of mine to get the voice right. And she's up to the ending that I outlined. So we'll see how we both feel about that ending. And then maybe we'll release it this year? Maybe next year? It's pretty close, though.

#3 Copy

Questioner

My thought is, you know how the Stormfather in Oathbringer says he's not able, or he's never seen Dalinar be able to create the bridge. Does that mean Honor could be reborn?

Brandon Sanderson

So, there are things standing in the way, but cosmereologically, it is fully possible that another person could become Honor. The Vessel that was holding Honor before is gone. Though the Stormfather is kind of his Cognitive Shadow at this point, in a way. But the power, something else could be done with it. Or it could remain in the state it is now. Your answer is yes, but there are some hindrances along the way.

#6 Copy

Questioner

Are you going to make another Warbreaker book?

Brandon Sanderson

Someday I will. It probably won't happen until after Stormlight 5 is out, because I want to keep those Stormlight books moving along.  But once Stormlight 5 is out, Ill take a little breather from Stormlight before doing number six to do some things. Maybe like this.

#8 Copy

Questioner

When in the books do you think is Hoid's most genuine moment?

Brandon Sanderson

When Shallan hugs him... maybe. You get him out of sorts there. He doesn't quite know what to do. I don't know if that counts as genuine. He often would consider himself as being very genuine. But you rarely catch him with his guard down.

#9 Copy

Questioner

Is [Hoid] ever actually what he's actually like in any of the books? I thought Way of Kings would be it, but I'm not sure.

Brandon Sanderson

Wit is very similar to the real Hoid. He's worked a long time to build a place for himself where he can kinda be himself. I mean, when you see his book from his viewpoint, he'll feel very like Wit from Stormlight.

#13 Copy

Snipexe

Does Hoid's Lightweaving produce light?

Brandon Sanderson

*After a very long pause* He has used different types of Lightweaving, or he has access to different types of Lightweaving.

Snipexe

Does the Yolish Lightweaving produce light?

Brandon Sanderson

Yolish Lightweaving could produce light.

#14 Copy

Snipexe

Would a primate be turned into a koloss if the spikes were placed in the correct bindpoints?

Brandon Sanderson

Something like a koloss, but you would not call it a koloss.

Snipexe

Would they lose intelligence or gain, if they were?

Brandon Sanderson

You could do it either way.

#19 Copy

Snipexe

Are lighteyes or darkeyes dominant?

Brandon Sanderson

Um... Depends.

Snipexe

Okay, and how do mixes work?

Brandon Sanderson

Different things can happen, but on Roshar, heterochromia is usually indication of a mixed parentage.

#20 Copy

Questioner

Is Skyward the title or the series title and is Claim the Stars is the book title?

Brandon Sanderson

No, Skyward is the series title and the book title. Like I should have done with Mistborn because we had Final Empire in the first book, and people got so confused because, "Is this the last book? It says The Final." This time I didn't give a subtitle to the first book. It was just too confusing when I did it the first time.

#21 Copy

Questioner

I heard rumors for a collectible card game, possibly, for the Cosmere?

Brandon Sanderson

That's possible. The guys who did the Mistborn RPG are really interested in doing one, so we'll see. It's just in the discussion stages right now. There's not even contracts for it or anything.

#22 Copy

Wyndlerunner

You've mentioned in the past aluminum savants being able to somewhat heal their spiritweb, healing them of the cracks, sort of healing them of Allomancy. Could a chromium savant do this to other people, kind of like in the Avatar [The Last Airbender] finale where he seals bending?

Brandon Sanderson

I will say RAFO, but I will say you're theorizing along correct directions.

#24 Copy

Wyndlerunner

Hoid, he already has his Cryptic by Era 2, if I'm correct on the timeline. So have we seen him using his new fancy Lightweaving in action? Has he spoken his fifth Truth?

Brandon Sanderson

I will RAFO that for now. I'll RAFO both of those. Those are two separate things, but I will RAFO them. You have seen Hoid Lightweaving, but whether you have seen him use his fancy new Lightweaving... we'll leave that off for now. Let's just say that he knows that certain uses of Investiture are easier to detect than others, and if you don't want to be seen, there are certain things you don't do.

#26 Copy

Questioner

Does the M in M-bot actually stand for anything?

Brandon Sanderson

He says it stands for Mushroom-bot. Spensa thinks it stands for Massacre-bot. Let's just say they have a difference of opinion on that. It's not going to get answered. She started calling him that and he was like, "Oh Mushroom-bot! Mushroom-bot sounds right!"

#27 Copy

Questioner

Has anyone ever given you any flak about the endings of Shadows of Self?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, definitely. It is one of the more controversial endings that I've done. If people are going to have a problem with an ending, it's usually that one, or it's the Legion ending people have issues with. Or, of course, Alcatraz Five; but they're supposed to have an issue with that one.

#28 Copy

Questioner

Are you ever gonna write a book with dragons in it?

Brandon Sanderson

I have, technically, already written books with dragons in them. Dragons in the cosmere... you've only heard from one. There haven't been... Frost, who is Hoid's old friend from the planet where he grew, is a dragon. And he's the person that he's exchanging letters with. Look for where Hoid calls someone "you old reptile." So, there are dragons in the cosmere. They are shapeshifters. And so you will rarely see them in dragon form until I go back and do Hoid's origin story. Then, you'll see quite a number of them. But you will also see them later on.

#29 Copy

Questioner

How would the city of Boston change over time in the Cognitive Realm, because its harbors have been constantly filled in with dirt?

Brandon Sanderson

Right, right, right. It will change to match, but there will be a time lapse, right? They'll be lagging behind. 

Questioner

So, you could dump it full of dirt, and then it might take like five or ten years before it actually appears as land.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, that's exactly about how it would go.

#30 Copy

Questioner

Does M-Bot follow the Three Laws of Robotics?

Brandon Sanderson

M-Bot does not follow the Three Laws of Robotics.

Questioner

Does he follow his own set of laws?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

#31 Copy

Questioner

You've previously said that Nightblood is the most powerful non-Shardic being in the Cosmere. Is he more powerful than the Unmade or Stormfather in terms of raw Investiture?

Brandon Sanderson

Raw Investiture? Here's the thing, when you say powerful, it can mean lots of different things. More raw Investiture than the Stormfather... probably not. Than the Unmade, probably. I would have to look, I don't have the numbers on this. But the Stormfather is very restricted in what he can do.

#32 Copy

Questioner

How are the Warbreaker leatherbounds coming?

Brandon Sanderson

They're looking great! Oh man, the artists loved Warbreaker, for obvious reasons. We're getting the best art for any of the leatherbounds we've ever gotten, for Warbreaker. It is gorgeous!

Questioner

The Nalthis essay?

Brandon Sanderson

What's that? Oh, the Warbreaker leatherbound essay. Yeah, I should put that in, shouldn't I. We'll see.

#35 Copy

Questioner

How many shots would it take for Wax using his gun to break a section of Shardplate?

Brandon Sanderson

Depends on the gun... Okay, so Vindication. He could probably... depends on the bullet, cause he's got several styles. But let's just say two or three. There's an argument he could do it with one, with the right shot, the right bullet, in the right moment.

#36 Copy

Questioner

What are all ten Stances?

Brandon Sanderson

I'm going to RAFO that, but you can email me, and we'll just pull them out of the wiki for me. We'll get the other two. The question is, which of the other two haven't I said? They're related to the Ten Essences. So, I have to go look and see which two we haven't put in the books. But if you say "Hey, what are the other two here?" we can canonize that for you.

#37 Copy

Questioner

When Kaladin and Shallan and the others are in Shadesmar, it talks about broams of Stormlight. How do they measure that? Because you could have partially depleted spheres.

Brandon Sanderson

A broam's worth of Stormlight is just a full sphere. Newly infused. Behind the scenes, there are actual units of measurement for Investiture that a broam would correlate with, but you would need to be measuring that using instruments that measure Investiture that they don't quite have on Roshar yet. They could make them, but they don't quite have them yet. They're close.

#39 Copy

treegrass

How long does it take to summon an Honorblade? Is it ten heartbeats or instant?

Brandon Sanderson

So, Honorblades, as far as anyone knows is ten sec- ten heartbeats. If you were to ask Szeth how long it would take, he would say ten heartbeats.

treegrass

But they're not?

Brandon Sanderson

I am not saying that. I am saying if you ask Szeth, if you ask the current bearer of Jezrien's Blade, they would all say it takes ten heartbeats.

Questioner 2

What about for the Heralds?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO there.

#41 Copy

Kyrroti

Why does Hoid seem to like the Kholins so much?

Brandon Sanderson

He thinks highly of several members of the family. And he also likes to stick near people who are able to cause change in the world in which they are involved. He is very, very interested in a specific member of the Kholin family.

#42 Copy

Questioner

In Way of Kings, there was an interlude, you've got the three guys that are looking for Hoid. They're in that crazy town with the water. Who are the guys? And are we going to see them again?

Brandon Sanderson

So, one is Captain Demoux, from Mistborn. One is Baon, from White Sand. And one is Galladon, from Elantris.

Questioner

Are we gonna see them again?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, you will see them again. And if you watch really closely, you can pick out Galladon by, he speaks in Dula. So if you watch for the quote in Dula. But the other two, you wouldn't be able to pick out.

They are chasing a false lead, which is just very amusing to Hoid that they think he's over there.

#43 Copy

Questioner

I was gonna ask what your favorite scene form [Oathbringer] was?

Brandon Sanderson

It's probably where everything comes together right at the end, right in the moment before the moment with Dalinar in the breach.

#44 Copy

Questioner

With aluminum resisting Shardblades, could you plate Shardplate with aluminum and have extra resistance, or would that be too thin to really even do anything?

Brandon Sanderson

This would probably not be very effective. Maybe in modern times, you could, but honestly you'd be better off just building aluminum armor for someone else. It's not gonna add too much to the Shardplate and to what the Shardplate's already doing and it might just interfere too much with what you're trying to do anyway. It would be worth experimenting with, but I don't think it's gonna end up doing too much.

#48 Copy

Bluebar

Is there any requirement for how [a Bloodseal] is made, like location, like where the seal comes from?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, there is some tradition tied to it, and that tradition is steeped in fact, but not all the traditions are necessary, if that makes sense. So they have more baggage to it than it actually needs, but some of the baggage has... Like the type of bone you're using, where you get the bone, and the location, and stuff is relevant, but some of the other things they put on it are not and also, it's not one hundred percent necessary.

Bluebar

So they think it might be necessary, but it's actually not?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, yes.

#50 Copy

Bluebar

How does [Bloodsealing] actually work with [the skeletals]? Does it trap something inside the bones like a Command?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, it works very similar to making Lifeless. Slight variations, but you are basically animating the bones by using Investiture that doesn't actually belong to them and tricking them into thinking that it does for a little bit of time and making it think it's alive again. And the fact that it's bones is really important for that, for Bloodsealing. But it's working in a similar way. The distinction is that with Lifeless you are actually using part of their own soul, right? And with Bloodsealing you're not.

#54 Copy

Questioner

With Kaladin, or those with suicidal ideations because of mental illness, do you have plans to explore that again with different mental illnesses and why they would have suicidal ideations?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, yes. I mean, Kaladin... it's just straight-up depression, which is in some ways the most simple, but also very complicated to deal with. I will delve into others. It is something that I'm very interested in, mostly because I'm fascinated by the way that different people see the world. And the more people I know, the more I realize there is no normal. There's just all different shades of how the way we all see the world. And some of those ways are... dangerous to us. Through no fault of our own. It is very interesting to me to explore.

#55 Copy

Questioner

Fathers of spren are mentioned twice. When spren talk about their fathers, are they usually talking about the person who raised them?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Questioner

Or the person who gave them life? Like, their offspring?

Brandon Sanderson

Those are usually the same person, right? Depending. But not always. But usually... it would vary if they aren't the same person. But I would say, normally it's the same individual. "Person" may be the wrong term. But I think they would say they're people, so "person."

#56 Copy

Questioner

What's the most personal thing you've ever written?

Brandon Sanderson

Probably the third Legion story. Which is an odd answer, not as many people have read that, but that's the one I would give. If you ever get to that one, and you get to the third one, you may understand why.

#59 Copy

Questioner

I was wondering, what would happen if you Steelpushed or Ironpulled on liquid metal?

Brandon Sanderson

It would work a lot like ferrofluid works. You'd be able to push or pull on it. It would just respond in a fluid way.

#60 Copy

Questioner

When Mizzy becomes an Epic, what's her Epic power?

Brandon Sanderson

So I very carefully didn't mention that because I wanted the freedom for when I actually wrote the books. Right now I have it in my head involving detonations, but I don't want to actually canonize that because if I write the book I want to have the freedom to take it where I want to.

#61 Copy

Questioner

So, I noticed that you use a lot of principles of leadership and freedom in your books. Where do those come from?

Brandon Sanderson

A lot of the different things I've read. A lot of my own research, my own feelings on it. Talking to my friends who are in the military who know a lot about these sorts of things. What you get in the books is partially my own personal philosophy, but partially how I feel the character would feel about. You usually get a mix. It's not exactly what I think, but it's what I think the character would think, and I created the character.

#63 Copy

Questioner

I'm going to read you a real quote from Words of Radiance. It's Wit speaking, and he's talking to Kaladin. And he goes, "So you do have some spark of wit in you. It came from Kaladin's mother." So, I think that means that Kaladin is a descendant of Wit.

Questioner 2

And I think it means just literally that he has wit.

Questioner

So, which one do you think is right? Me, or him?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

#64 Copy

Questioner

In Shadows of Silence, there's another guy named Red in that one, so that's our third guy named Red. Because we have Shallan's groupie, and then we have the guy in Mistborn that's named Red. So , there's three different ones named Red. Is that a coincidence? Or is that intentional?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

#65 Copy

Questioner

Are there any Knights Radiant who broke their oaths in the Recreance that are still around in present day Stormlight time?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. Oh, that broke their oaths. You anticipated me. RAFO.

Questioner

But there are still ones around who haven't?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, Nale. That's my loophole there. That's who I was thinking of. But you said that did break their oaths, so you anticipated me on that one.

#66 Copy

JoyBlu

Question about marriage. Is there, on Roshar, something to show that a woman is married? Like here we have our ring finger, do they have something?

Brandon Sanderson

No, they don't have the same sort of cultural thing that we have on that.

JoyBlu

What about, what's the planet name with Siri, Vivenna, Warbreaker, is there anything in that one?

Brandon Sanderson

Depending on the culture, there are several.

#67 Copy

Questioner

How rare was it for somebody to get the warrior lenses from Alcatraz?

Brandon Sanderson

Those are not that rare. I would say they're one of the most common lenses. But you do have to go through some training and prove yourself, and things like that. So, as lenses, they're not that rare. But you're not gonna see them every day on people.

Questioner

So what are the most rare lenses?

Brandon Sanderson

Well, the lenses of Rashid would be the most rare, obviously. But a lot of the ones that Grandpa Smedry points out as being very rare... there are lots of very rare lenses that there are only one or two copies of around. And we don't deal with many of those, but there are a couple of them we mention.

#69 Copy

JoyBlu

In order to have a Breath, do you have to be native to Nalthis?

Brandon Sanderson

Not to be given Breaths, but people who are not native to Nalthis are not born with that Investiture.

JoyBlu

So, you have to be born on that planet?

Brandon Sanderson

There are exceptions. Most of the time.

JoyBlu

If both your parents were Nalthians, and they moved off planet, and they had a child that was born on a different planet—

Brandon Sanderson

It is possible for that child to have a Breath, but it would not continue too long. But yes, that child would probably have a Breath, depending...

Joyblu

If both of his parents had Breaths.

Brandon Sanderson

Mmmhmm.

#70 Copy

OrangeJedi

Could a non-native be able to be Returned?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, that is possible.

JoyBlu

So someone who was born without a Breath and came to Nalthis could possibly be Returned?

Brandon Sanderson

Possibly could be Returned. Yes. That's not very likely.

JoyBlu

So they could get a Divine Breath, even though never...

Brandon Sanderson

They could be given a Divine Breath, yes.

#72 Copy

Questioner

I think Navani is a bad person.

Brandon Sanderson

Why do you think that?

Questioner

Because Wit didn't like her at the beginning, and her daughter warned against her. And any romance with the main character can really <rush out>. I wanna know, is she a bad guy?

Brandon Sanderson

Well, that's definitely RAFO territory.

#73 Copy

Questioner

Of all the women that you've written, do you have one that was really fun to write?

Brandon Sanderson

In Wheel of Time, my favorite probably was writing Nynaeve at the ending. I had a lot of fun with her in the end. In my own, I would probably say Spensa was the most fun to write.

#74 Copy

Questioner

[Did you pull] from the story of Osiris for cosmere stuff?

Brandon Sanderson

I did use some Osiris myths for cosmere.

Questioner

So, how much mythology did you pull from?

Brandon Sanderson

Quite a bit. I have a deep interest in all kinds of mythologies. And I had a really good professor of folklore in college. I ended up really liking her, so I took a ton of classes from her. So, my senior course was mythology in folklore. So, yes, you'll find all kinds things from all over the place in the books.

Questioner

Even, I guess, just within different worlds, even within the different cultures.

Brandon Sanderson

Watch the stories Hoid tells. You'll be able to be like, "Oh, that's inspired by a coyote myth, right there." You'll pick them out here and there.

#75 Copy

JoyBlu

On the back of The Way of Kings, it says "I long for the days before the Last Desolation." Who's I?

Brandon Sanderson

That is one of the Sleepless. You have not...

JoyBlu

And it ends in "One of them will destroy us." Okay. And I have it we don't know who the Sleepless is yet?

Brandon Sanderson

You know who the Sleepless... You don't know which one. It is not the one that you have met officially. I mean, you've met a couple of Sleepless, but it is not the one that Lift hung out with. He's a little odd, even for a Sleepless.

#76 Copy

Questioner

Do you have an update on when the Hemalurgy table's gonna be available on the website?

Brandon Sanderson

I do not. That's really Isaac, you bug him and poke him. Whenever he decides to release it. He's kinda just in charge of that. Karen's around, I don't know if she knows.

#77 Copy

JoyBlu

At the end of Oathbringer, Hoid is there, and he uses the Breath to talk to the doll, and he gives the doll to K-whoever - he gives it to someone named Cob and Kheni. So, is Kheni a Parshman?

Brandon Sanderson

I'll RAFO that.

#82 Copy

JoyBlu

Okay, A larkin and an aviar. Could you tell us how they're related - are they a bit similar? Other than that they both fly.

Brandon Sanderson

I would not call them terribly similar. A larkin is a specific type of creature that feeds off of Investiture. And there are some other things like that in the Cosmere. But aviar don't do that. Aviar have a symbiosis with an Invested entity. Aviar are more like, they're kind of weird because they fulfill both the role of a spren, but also the person that's bonding the spren. They're an intermediary.

JoyBlu

Okay. And larkins don't have feathers, right?

Brandon Sanderson

Larkins do not have feathers. They look like little... They look like wasps.

JoyBlu

Like wasps? That little?

Brandon Sanderson

No, not that size, but that's the look of them. They're in the picture in the front of Way of Kings, the magic map. If we have Way of Kings here... We can grab it for you. If you go to my website for the art for Way of Kings, look up "Way of Kings art archive" on my website. It's not the cover, it's on the magic, the double eye symbol of the Knights Radiant in the inside cover flap. There's a pair of larkin there.

#86 Copy

JoyBlu's Friend

I want to ask Brandon if he plans to write how Adolin feels next to Shallan, as we never get Adolin's viewpoint when it comes to their relationship. I thought it was missed.

Brandon Sanderson

Tell them that I do plan to do some of that.

#87 Copy

JoyBlu's Friend

Many of my questions have to do with the Dalinar-Adolin relationship because I love families and I find this particular relationship very strained. I wish to know stuff like what Dalinar really feels for Adolin, as I find he treats him more like a tool than a son. Or whether or not we've seen the end of the Adolin murdered Sadeas narrative arc, as no character really had the time to react to it yet.

Brandon Sanderson

You have not seen the end of that arc. Dalinar loves his son but has trouble treating anyone as anything other than tools.

JoyBlu's Friend

What are Brandon's thoughts on the relationship? I'd also die to hear Brandon speak about what to expect for Adolin within book 4 in terms of length, scope—

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO! RAFO!

JoyBlu's Friend

—as I just wished to give Brandon comment on the fact that some readers were disappointed with the outcome of this narrative arc.

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO, RAFO.

Event details
Name
Name Orem Signing
Date
Date March 16, 2019
Location
Location Orem, UT
Entries
Entries 89
Upload sources