Recent entries

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7051 Copy

    irishlyrucked

    I see all these titles, and I have no idea what you're talking about. Can you elaborate, please?

    Brandon Sanderson

    White sand and the Aether of Night are two good, but flawed, books I wrote during my unpublished days that I still consider at least partially cosmere canon. (White Sand more than Aether, at this point.) They're good enough to read, but I don't feel they're good enough to charge money for, so I send them to anyone who who sends an email through my website and asks.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7052 Copy

    Paradox2063

    Soooo, hope you don't mind, but not long ago I finished reading The Aether of Night and the White Sand ... books.

    And I've seen that Dragonsteel exists, but there are only 5 copies and they're all in the Harold B Lee Library at Brigham Young University.

    Is it possible to get a copy to read the same way we can get the first two I mentioned?

    Sorry to bother you. Can't wait til January though.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't send it out yet. Maybe once I've gotten far enough in the cosmere that certain things in it are not spoilers. But the book, now that Bridge Four is gone (they used to be in that one) really doesn't have much to recommend it, unlike the others.

    Maybe I'll change my mind some day. For now, I don't send it out. (Sorry.)

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7054 Copy

    CrystalShadow

    So is Harmony as excited for the space Mistborn as we are?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It will have four trilogies now. (Though part of me thinks I might need another interim cyberpunkish one between 1980's and full Space Opera.) Right now, though, I have four eras planned.

    As for your original question, Harmony is excited, but also worried, perhaps in equal measure.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7055 Copy

    ReaderHarlaw

    Brandon Sanderson provides an unintended lesson about being careful with pronouns

    "All right, people," Elend said, folding his arms. "We need options. Kelsier recruited you because you could do the impossible. Well, our predicament is pretty impossible."

    "He didn't recruit me," Cett pointed out. "I got pulled by my balls into this little fiasco."

    "I wish I cared enough to apologize," Elend said, staring at them.

    Brandon Sanderson

    This one was unintentional. Gotta watch those pronouns!

    In the original draft of one of the books, I had Elend talking about the difference between him and Vin, referencing his time going to parties in noble society. He mentioned he was a man of "Magnificent Balls."

    I caught that one, fortunately.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7056 Copy

    _robbiehunt_

    How the heck do regular people on Roshar tell the difference between Ruby and Garnet spheres??

    So. Really. If you hand be a Ruby and a Garnet... I guess I could guess at which was which. But if you just handed me a red gemstone and said "that's a ruby, so I'll need change back" I'm not really sure I could.

    But imagine being a busy merchant. That's just too much of a real chance at error.

    I'm sure the stormlight is a different color, but still, it's gotta be close.

    I'm sure there are experts that can easily tell these things. But I'm talking about regular people, since this is a currency after all.

    Is there any theory on this at all?

    Phantine

    I assume that the stormlight-holding garnets are violet rather than pure red.

    But what if I infused this guy with stormlight? The color keeps changing!

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'll write something up about this eventually. The hue is more important than the actual crystalline structure on Roshar.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7058 Copy

    Questioner

    [question about using Feruchemy in Dungeons and Dragons]

    Brandon Sanderson

    Why Feruchemy "works" in book terms is because it's about intrinsic trade off. We see the character pay something, so we accept when later on, they're able to do something dramatic. Narratively, their boost is "earned" in much the same way that a character "earns" their ending winning a duel by showing us through the story that they've been practicing with the sword.

    You need to "earn" your boosts. If I were a GM, I'd suggest that you can store attributes during one day of gameplay, to use it during another day of gameplay. -2STR for one day, +2STR for the next day. I'd say no more than -/+2 at first--with feats or Feruchemist prestige class levels allowing you to do 4 or even 6. Storing senses could be covered with WIS, and health with CON.

    Alternately, if you want to get into the specifics, you could try something where when you land a hit, you can use a smaller damage die (a d4 instead of d6) to "store up" strength. Then later, when you need it, you can trade in one of those stored moments (which would be capped with a maximum number that could be stored at once, to be raised by requiring you to find special metals) to raise a damage die during a climactic battle--maybe making your d6 into a d10. You could do the same thing with spot checks (take a penalty for specific rolls to be able to add to the later on.) HP could be done the same way--drop your HP for a battle to "store" then raise them for another battle.

    This is more of a tweak to the way the books use the magic, but the idea is to make certain your cost is still a cost. You get ahead by choosing the times to - or +, making it fun--but you are always paying a price.

    So the first question I'd ask myself is do I want this to be a time period thing or a specific instances thing--which would be more fun to play? Then ask is this about attributes or specific skills/hit points, etc? Define some rules, define how you get better, and then have fun within the system.

    Personally, I'd avoid the will save as a cost to drawing out the attribute or ability. Perhaps make it require concentration checks if you want to make it tougher--but requiring a will save to magically gain strength doesn't feel very "feruchemist" to me and downplays the real fun you could have with the character. Role playing a day spent with very low spot checks, or a terrible constitution, could be really fun.

    I'd also figure out if you can do some kind of "super move" with the abilities by storing up a whole lot. (Like ten units, however you decide upon them.)

    My take on the attributes: Iron: To be used in a role playing way, making yourself lighter or heavier, with no battle implications. Steel: Increase/decrease movement speed in a fight. OR under the effects of a "slow" spell for a day, vs under the effects of a "haste" spell. Super move: Very limited time stop. Tin: Spot Checks or WIS. Pewter: STR checks, damage die, or +/- damage to each hit. Zinc: Bonus to hit (for thinking through the situation) or bonus to initiative. (With corresponding negatives.) Brass: Specific fortitude checks.Copper: Mostly role playing. Memorize a book, or an entire library, if given time. Blank things from your mind to prevent mind reading. Bronze: Mostly role playing, with (perhaps) being able to "rest" immediately and get back any abilities that come with it. (Haven't played 5e--these were big in 4e, but don't know if they kept them.)

    These metals are going to be rare.

    Cadmium: Not having to breathe for a time could have all kinds of applications, though I'd love to hear you role play hyperventilating all day for one session. Bendalloy: Not eating and storing calories. Great for role playing.Gold: CON bonus, hit points, or something like that. Sudden healing is great for gaming. Electrum: General bonus to all skills. Chromium: Bonus or minus to any roll.

    The rest aren't even understood in-world, so I'd stop there. If you go all in on this, I'd say you need some kind of class built around it--perhaps a rogue or monk base, replacing their bonuses with feruchemical abilities that you gain over time.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7060 Copy

    blaze1616

    When did Besk first meet Kai? Two different passages within the story imply two different times in Kai's life, so I'd love some confirmation.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Man, I tweaked this in writing, and now I wonder if I created a consistency error. He met Besk during his adventuring days, but later in them.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7063 Copy

    SandersonLover1

    There is some confusion on the Coppermind on whether Sixthface is the name of the world (I seem to recall it was named ‘the cube’) or just one of the Faces of the world?

    Furthermore, can you tell us something we don’t know about any of the Faces?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ha. Not often I get questions about that particular story.

    It's so unfinished that I haven't established, even for myself, all of the terminology.

    SandersonLover1

    So, do you have any plans to finish it one day?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It depends on a lot of factors. One is if there is interest for something a tad more ridiculous from readers. While it's not as off the wall as Alcatraz, that story is quite weird with a particularly specific kind of humor. If the Alcatraz re-releases do well, then perhaps there is room for something akin to them.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7065 Copy

    Mnim3

    What would be your recommended reading order for the Cosmere?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Publication order, if you're already certain you're going to read them all. If you're uncertain, I'd try to find out which book will best match your interests and get you to read that one first.

    Right now, order doesn't matter much, though. One thing to remember, however, is that I'm not releasing the books in a haphazard order. Other than Elantris, I've specifically chosen which books to do in which order, as I like the progression.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7069 Copy

    thecountofchocula

    My question is was the change to the use of modern English phrases in The Stormlight Archives deliberate or am I reading too much into it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    In regards to my books, I use Tolkien's own explanation, which was to pretend that the book you're reading is in translation--everything has been taken by myself from native dialects, and translated it to English. When I make a pun, they probably didn't say those exact words--they said something in Alethi that made a pun, and I put an appropriate one in the same place. Likewise, some of their idioms just don't translate, so I use a modern idiom that means something similar for effect.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7072 Copy

    VindicationKnight

    If you cloned someone using real life technology (so not magic) would they have a normal Cognitive and Spiritual make up or be something like a Drab?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Cloning would most likely work like creating a twin--the body would pull Investiture for a soul, and you probably wouldn't have a drab. Though it would be possible to do it in such a way that you did create one, if you're simply working from our current cloning technology, you'd get a fully invested human being.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7073 Copy

    Dancingedge

    What is Obliteration's usual M.O.? Does he destroy every town he goes to or does he usually just kill a couple people, melt a small neighborhood, maybe go and hold a sermon and then goes shopping?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He does not destroy every town. More in book 3.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7074 Copy

    Dancingedge

    We have seen that Epics have a compulsion to pick a name for themselves (and have been told that some apparently have very bad taste) but is there also some kind of compulsion for them to be at least somewhat appropriate or for example could Nightwielder also have called himself Sunshine Shimmer (if he were such inclined)? And on a similar note, about when does this need start to manifest itself.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is possible for him to have named himself that.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7076 Copy

    Ayende87

    Doesn't Zahel mention that he has 'Lost a Friend' maybe in a worldhop he dropped it, or nightblood has grown in power since landing on roshar and was able to move enough on his own that Zahel didn't notice til it was too late and he had already been identifed by Nalan.

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7077 Copy

    BartholomeusDiaz

    I'm reading the preview chapter of Shadows of Self and I'm really curious. Where does the gasoline for the cars in the Wax and Wayne books come? If Harmony remade the world, did he make crude oil too? Does that then mean he can see that far into the future?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are clues about this in the upcoming text itself.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7078 Copy

    WeiryWriter

    So I just recently read the Allomancer Jak short story in the MAG Alloy of Law supplement. I have to ask was the dynamic between Jak and Handerwym at all inspired by your relationship with Peter? I can very easily picture you blazing some sort of fantastic literary trail and Peter following behind explaining why it isn't possible (Kind of like how you initially intended the time bubbles to do red/blue shift and Peter was like "No you'll microwave people")

    Brandon Sanderson

    Peter is not nearly as biting toward me, but always having an editor looking over my shoulder and saying, "Uh...is that actually RATIONAL Brandon?" is probably a big part of my inspiration here.

    Peter Ahlstrom

    I hadn't made the connection... >_>

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7079 Copy

    MisterEight

    I really wish there was a book sales equivalent to box office mojo. Would be super interesting to compare the numbers more in depth between super popular authors like yourself and less known/new authors.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is, actually. It's called bookscan, and is generally only available to insiders. (But if you can find someone with access, you can track books back for two decades of sales info.)

    Problem is, it doesn't track ebooks. (Because Amazon doesn't release them.) I wish this info were more public too, personally. But I can try to guess a kind of rough estimate, based on what I've seen. (This is for first year ebook/hardcover combined, and only applies to fiction books, and not those by a celebrity.)

    On the chopping block: 5k (This is a book that did modestly well, but is probably overall losing money for the publisher. Some would keep publishing an author at this level, depending on expectations of growth, award recognition, or niche interest.)

    Solid seller: 5k-10k (This is a book most publishers will always be pleased with, and will continue to pay a decent advance for. This author may not make a healthy living on their book unless they can do more than one a year, but will probably always have a writing career.)

    High midlister: 10k-20k (This is an author who is well known in their genre, is a dependable seller, and has a dedicated--but small-fanbase. If you can find a writer with a number of books on the shelf, but they don't chart often on the NYT list with new books, they are probably in this category.)

    Genre Bestseller: 20k-50k (This is a book that charts on the bestseller lists without hitting the #1 spot. Authors who hit this consistently set trends in the industry, are well known in their genres, and are pulling low six figure advances. Breaking out of this level and into the next takes serious luck, even in a field which already requires a lot of luck.)

    Dominant Genre Bestseller: 50k-300k (These are the books that hit #1 on the bestseller list. Authors who do this consistently with each new book are generally at the top of their field, and are probably what you consider "super popular" in your post. But they--we, as this is where I am--are small potatoes compared to the next levels.)

    Breakout Bestseller: 300k-1mil (These are books that "break out" of their genre, or are the top of larger genres, like thrillers. Teen books with a lot of momentum can hit here too. Books in this category sell in airports or walmarts to the general public for months, as opposed to those in the category below, which sell really, really well for one week--but only because fans buy their books week one, rather than waiting. I've outsold Dan Brown and John Grisham...for one week. The next week, they trounced me.)

    Movie Books: 1-5mil (These are books from one of the other categories that have a film come out recently. Also, the tail end of the breakout bestsellers and the beginnings of phenomenon books. It gets really blurry in here as we're dealing with such large swaths of numbers. Game of Thrones books are in here, I believe. Note that they basically jumped over the category between, which often happens in sf/f when you get a film or tv show.)

    Phenomenon books: 5-20+mil (These are books that somehow SUPER break the mold, for reasons nobody really understands. DaVinci Code. Harry Potter. Twilight.)

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7080 Copy

    Amerikoni

    I only yesterday found out you changed the ending for [Words of Radiance]. So here is my question. I've only read the first version where Kaladin kills Szeth. When Szeth gets killed now, it's by the storm. What is it that specifically kills him since he can normally just evade the storm or even be healed by stormlight?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Good question! So, the idea here is that Szeth has given up, and wants to die. I wanted the storm to kill him, then, as opposed to Kaladin. What kills him is losing control in the storm, and being slammed into the ground.

    The bigger change here was actually my desire to leave it at least partially clear that he's not dead, in order to avoid the 'fake out' ending. Having him be dead and reborn was important, but I felt in the first stab I erred on the side of pulling a fast one on the reader.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7081 Copy

    Dancingedge

    Could Obliteration (or an Epic with similar powers), in theory, actively suppress his danger sense, so he doesn't teleport, even if someone would score a lethal hit on him? Also, do active Epic powers like throwing energy beams or flying drain stamina?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Obliteration hasn't learned to do this. Perhaps it's possible, but difficult. As for how draining the abilities are, it varies based on the Epic.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7082 Copy

    senigmatic1

    I've got a more hypothethical question.

    Iron stores weight. Pewter stores strength.

    What if you both make yourself very light and very strong***? Maybe even throw in burning pewter as well; how does it all work together?

    Maybe I should throw this over to askscience..

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have some ideas, and have done some research, but I'm not ready to comment on this yet. I plan to use it in a future book.

    But if you do come up with some info from askscience, I'd love to see it.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7083 Copy

    Thadamin

    How many Cutting edges does Nightblood have? I'm just trying to find out what Nightblood looks like exactly, Warbreaker is a little sparse on an exact description.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Nightblood is a long, straight sword, edged on both sides.

    morsk

    If Nightblood was a Dark Souls weapon, which class would it be? Straight Sword, Greatsword, Ultra Greatsword? I think of it like the Claymore.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Claymore might be close. Though the dark souls ones might be a tad bigger than he is.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7085 Copy

    Botanica

    Will Shallan undergo more apprenticeships in future SA books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think you'd find that she considers herself beyond that. Not because she's full of herself (though she is a little) but because she has started to resist boundaries placed on her by others.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7086 Copy

    Dancingedge

    Is gifting/power transference to normal people with Epics an all or nothing deal or could there be an Epic that can gift one ability but has another power he can't gift? And while on topic of quirks in Epic powers, how much do emotions play into them? We have some examples like Steelheart were strong emotions can cause the power to run amok, is there more of a guideline to this or just a quirk of some powers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    All powers can be gifted if any can. Gifting is a power that modifies other powers. Controlling the powers during times of great emotion is generally more difficult, but this has more to do with human nature than the powers.

    Phantine

    So Gifters can gift gifting?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, I'm afraid. That's a separate power.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7087 Copy

    focoma

    I may be pushing my luck a bit but I have another question, this time about the symbol of the Ghostbloods. In Way of Kings it was described as three overlapping diamonds, while in Words of Radiance it was described as "triangular". I also heard that recently a fan showed you what he thought the symbol looked like and you told him he was correct, but the picture he showed wasn't triangular in any sense.

    Was the triangular description a mistake? Do the Ghostbloods have more than one symbol? I personally imagined it to be something like this, which sorta looks triagular since it has three parts sticking out from the center.

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll release this eventually. Yours is not as I imagined it, I'm afraid.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7088 Copy

    Smye07

    My question for you is this - I got the heeby-jeebies when Shallan heard about Amaram's collection of flutes within just a few pages of Wit bringing up the flute Kaladin lost?

    All I can think of is that either: A) Wit's flute will end up among Amaram's collection to resurface later or B) In his work with the Sons of Honor, Amaram or his fellows have stumbled across some flute-related magic or splinterization and his flutes are the brethren and sistren of Wit's flute.

    Is either of these the case? Or is there some other significance to Amaram's collection of nigh forbidden flutes?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is significant. It is not a huge deal, but it is significant.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7089 Copy

    trevorade

    To what extent can virtual objects be forced into Stephen's subconscious? Stephen says that "those who work closely with [him] know to just pantomime letting [his] mind fill in the details." Does there have to be a physical object present in order for it to interact with his aspects? JC conjures a virtual phone that clearly had no physical counterpart. Could someone lie to Stephen that they have a bazooka in a box, then pretend to pull it out and proceed to virtually blow holes in the room?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The object does not have to be present, but his subconscious has to see an idea as part of his psychosis for it to appear.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7090 Copy

    ccstat

    You confirmed at the Atlanta signing that 9-point constructions could be applied to ellipses to generate valid Rithmatic defenses. Could the same be done using open conics such as hyperbolas and parabolas? (Or do open conics become lines of Forbiddance instead of lines of Warding?) Also, the disparity in strength between the sides and points of an ellipse is attributed to their difference in curvature. Does this mean that a large circle is inherently weaker than a small circle since its local curvature is less?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes to all questions, though with a circle, there is an innate structural strength that does weaken with larger sizes, but it isn't as fast as the curvature would indicate.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7091 Copy

    winter_cloud

    Is there any more lyrics to the listener songs? If so, can you share some, please?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm afraid I went to a poet and had them rewrite my versions for me, as my poetry chops are pretty weak. So I don't have any more than the ones in the book.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7092 Copy

    King_of_the_Kobolds

    With the second draft of Calamity done and awaiting editor revisions, I thought I'd take this opportunity to re-approach a very common fan question. Do we learn Regalia's weakness in this novel, and if not, would you mind telling us what it is here?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Boy, I do get this one a lot. I'm wary of saying anything until Calamity is out, not because Regalia's weakness is specifically relevant, but because I've found that even the most innocent of things I say can sometimes lead to spoilers. The nature of the weaknesses is a big part of the three book arc of the Reckoners, so I don't want to hurt anything.

    That said, as I mentioned, Regalia's weakness is not actually relevant. I've just been avoiding the question for reasons stated above.

    Regalia's weakness was being proven wrong. If you could figure out something she'd done incorrectly, and prove it to her so she couldn't avoid the truth, she'd briefly lose local control of her powers. But I didn't want that book to be about figuring out/using her weakness, in order to distinguish it from books one and three, which use that as the major plot. So I avoided bringing up the idea, or really even using it in the story at all.

    Dancingedge

    How hard would it be to trigger exactly? For example when David called Regalia to his location in the Reckoner hideout she figured out that she was searching for it in the wrong location. Is that why she took a while to appear or was there something specific about that situation that made it not count?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. That is a time that would trigger her weakess.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7093 Copy

    Phantine

    Silly Shardblade question: Dick Cheney's artificial heart was a continuous flow model, which meant he had no pulse. If you gave him a Shardblade, how would summoning it work?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You know, I've actually had to think about this. (Not because of Cheney, but because of cosmere applications.) Just as blind people dream differently from people without visuals, I feel a Shardbearer without a pulse would end up having another method of representing the way their soul reaches toward a dead Shardblade and summons it. But it would vary based on the individual.

    General Reddit 2015 ()
    #7094 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    Current Mistborn Eras:

    Era One: Vin and Elend Era Two: Wax and Wayne Era Three: 1980's Era Four: Science Fiction

    We'll see if this changes. I wasn't planning on what is now Era Two, so I could see another Era between Three and Four.

    fbstj

    have you decided to not do the 1940(?)'s story? or is it just that that won't count towards a separate era designation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Haven't decided 100%, but I'm leaning against it. We'll see.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7095 Copy

    Dancingedge

    In Steelheart you mentioned mind control Epics. Just how extensive are some of the mind control powers and are they likely to diffentiate between normal people and other Epics?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mind control powers among Epics are more subtle than you might find in something like the Marvel universe. (Making someone think they want a sandwich, so they wander away from their post, instead of directly controlling them.) But stronger manifestations do exist. They're more rare.

    Generally, mind control powers will have more trouble with Epics.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7096 Copy

    Mailliw73

    How many Epics have "unique" powers like Firefight or Mitosis?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Less than 10% are both unique and useful.

    Mailliw73

    What about unique and useless? ;)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Happens fairly often.

    Mailliw73

    So, a power to, say, conjure Big Macs out of their pocket wouldn't be too crazy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. That's actually well within reason.

    And actually quite powerful if you don't put a limit on concurrent mass created or speed of creation.

    Voidus

    What about an Epic whose only ability is to accurately tell the time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Sure.

    Mailliw73

    Can an Epic be given powers that are permanently countered by their weakness? Ex: Being able to breathe underwater, but whose weakness is water?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm going to say no on this one, unless the weakness is something more specific. (I.E, you can breathe under water, but your weakness is water with food coloring in it.) The weakness can relate somehow to the powers, but not in a way that if every time you use the abilities, they're automatically negated.

    winter_cloud

    What are some of the more common powers, then?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I based this off of comic books, so I assumed classic comic book superhero powers--various forms of flight, invulnerability, control over various types of matter, energy blasts--are common enough to have "standard powersets" for research purposes. Basically, this means that people like David and the lorists can make references that readers with a familiarity with comics can understand.

    King_of_the_Kobolds

    Is there any chance we could see the lorist categorization system published someday? As a sort of Reckonerverse Ars Arcanum?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is possible, but likely only if I come back to the world for more books beyond the original trilogy.

    Voidus

    How common would teleporting be?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Rare.

    Mailliw73

    Are powers such as being able to negate others' powers or being immune to Epic powers possible?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7097 Copy

    luke_c

    Will you be posting what you change in the Elantris 10th year anniversary re-release like with how you changed the Words of Radiance ending? Also thanks for writing amazing books!

    Brandon Sanderson

    We'll try. The changes are, on one hand, way more pervasive--but on the other hand, far less substantial. There is a lot of cleaning up language, and a little of moving about the locations of buildings and the like for the sake of continuity.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #7100 Copy

    TwiLyghtSansSparkles

    At the time of Steelheart, are there any regions (besides those mentioned in Firefight) that are uninhabitable?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Not many in the states, but nukes WERE used fighting the Epics. There are some irradiated areas around the world.

    And, another poster just reminded me that people are doing a Role Play for the Reckoners, which is the source of these questions. So for that context, I might be able to dig up some more info for you on your questions.