Recent entries

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7351 Copy

    Questioner

    Can you give me a hint on the Easter egg in the map of Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh boy, hint of the Easter egg.

    Questioner

    What particular skill do you need for it? Is it a different language?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, it is not linguistics.

    Questioner

    Is it math related, like with stormwardens and how they study the..

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is math related, but once again, let me remind you. This is not going to be a mind blowing revelation. It is going to be a nifty thing. Someone actually got close at one of my signings and when they asked about it they noticed something. It is a fun Easter egg that will tell you more about the history of the world.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7352 Copy

    Questioner

    So Truthless are kind of pretty rare, right, in the Shin society?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    So how did they come by the [Honorblades] that Szeth's got?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They, historically, kept all of them.

    Auestioner

    Oh, ok. I wondered if that was the case. Interesting. Does that have anything to do with why they think stone is sacred?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will find out more about that as time progresses.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7354 Copy

    Questioner

    Will we be seeing any more of stick?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Everybody loves stick, everybody is very fond of stick. I have no current plans for stick.

    Questioner.

    Spook?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You will find out more about Spook.

     

    It is not impossible that you will see some sort of story involving Spook. After all I did a little short story about Kelsier for the role playing game. It's now on my website.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7355 Copy

    Questioner

    Can you compound like a, can you compund metalminds to the point where you become like a savant?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A savant happens because persistent use of the power has an effect on your soul, warping it. Compounding is a very different thing, so while you could draw some very powerful effects, I would not call them the same thing, even if they are imitating one another at certain points.

    Oslo signing, 2011 ()
    #7357 Copy

    Thorondir (paraphrased)

    How could a person from Scadrial access Shadesmar? An alloy of a god metal?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    He RAFOd me on this one and said it was a plot point for future novels.

    Footnote: In Mistborn: Secret History, we see Hoid transition between the Physical and Cognitive Realm using the well. This can be achieved on any world similarly through any Shards perpendicularity.
    Sources: Thorndir's Report - 17th Shard
    Oslo signing, 2011 ()
    #7359 Copy

    Thorondir (paraphrased)

    How many Shardworlds are there? Only seven? (Sel, Nalthis, Scadrial, Roshar, Yolen, Taldain, and whatever planet The Silence Divine is on [Ashyn]?)

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    He said he has a set number in his head but that he didn’t want to say it because he might change his mind. Essentially he doesn’t want to make the number of worlds canon yet.

    Oslo signing, 2011 ()
    #7360 Copy

    Thorondir (paraphrased)

    Who names the planets? You've said once that "Scadrial" was the name of the planet as Ruin and Preservation knew it, but where'd they get that name? Do the Shardholders all get together and vote on it or something?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    He said thay already had their names and that the all the planets existed before the shardholders got there.

    Amsterdam signing, 2011 ()
    #7364 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    The Mistborn series was sold as three trilogies. The first trilogy (the one we know) is set in medieval/16th century technology and is fantasy. The second trilogy will be set in the current day, or at least with the same kind of technology. This makes it urban fantasy. The last trilogy will be science fiction set somewhere in the future. Of course, all of them have the Allomancy magic system to get things interesting. The short novel The Alloy of Lawthat will be released in the fall this year is set between the first two trilogies so the tech level is around 18th/19th century with steam power. Brandon said it was about some Wild West-like character getting involved in a murder investigation in a city. So Clint Eastwood meets Sherlock Holmes in London.

    Amsterdam signing, 2011 ()
    #7367 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    About the scheduling. He plans to start writing the next Stormlight Archive book right after he turns in A Memory of Light. He hopes to write two books for the Stormlight Archive in a row. The first of those might (very early estimates) be released at the end of 2012, or early 2013.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7370 Copy

    Questioner

    Have we seen another Lightweaver, as of Words of Radiance?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um... Yes. Depending on your definition. Straight-up Lightweaver? Like you could make the argument... the Order of Knights Radiant? That... that, no. But you have seen people Lightweaving. The skill.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7371 Copy

    Questioner 1

    Who or what is Hoid? Or Wit?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Wit? He is a person who has shown up in all the books. What else do you want to know?

    Questioner 2

    All of the books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He has shown up in all of my epic fantasies, yes.

    Questioner 1

    Every single one of them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, he's been...

    Questioner 2

    Wit or Hoid?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hoid-- is the same, Wit.

    Questioner 1

    But how do you know it's him?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Because he says his name in all of them.

    Questioner 1

    As Hoid?

    Brandon Sanderson

    As Hoid.

    Questioner 1

    Really?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yep.

    Questioner 2

    I-- now I need to be more careful.

    Questioner 1

    How does he know so much information about what's going on, and how is he always in the right place at the right time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Those are two excellent questions.

    Questioner 1

    That you won't tell me.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That I won't tell you. You get a [RAFO] card. But he has a sp-- surprising ability to be in the right place at the right time very consistently in the cosmere. That's the name of the shared universe of all the books.

    Questioner 1

    I didn't realize it was a shared universe.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, it is. There are characters in Way of Kings from Elantris, and... yeah. But it's all Easter eggs. It doesn't-- it isn't something you have to. 

    Questioner 2

    So it's not, like, crossovers.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are crossovers, but it's all Easter egg-ish right now. Some day there'll be one where I do full-blown crossover. For now the story is about this. And so the crossover is all just in the background.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7376 Copy

    Questioner

    What are Oldbloods?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oldbloods? Oldbloods are the, um... Lon-- Years ago, Alethkar was ruled by a different group of people. A different, like, dynasty. And it's been overturned, and it's been a long enough time that they're not really a threat. But to acknowledge them, and Oldblood-- they wear the tattoo. It means, "We are-- We used to rule this place." And so, it's just-- It's a lineage of people and a dynasty that used to be the kings of Alethkar.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7377 Copy

    Questioner 1

    Alloy of Law.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mhm.

    Questioner 1

    We've got koloss-born guys.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mhm. 

    Questioner 1

    What's their origin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So... Currently in Mistborn-- And I delve into this a lot more in the later books, but, you know, it's not a big spoiler so I can tell you. Um... Koloss have become... They can breed, but when some-- when a child is born to them it is born as a koloss-blood. It is not born the full thing, right? Grows up normally, and at maturity, at their right of passing, they can choose to ma-- take the step, gain-- get the spikes, and turn into actual, true koloss. Or if they don't, they have to leave the tribe and go... You know.

    Questioner 1

    But they're more, like, human size? Like, human looking?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They're human size, human-- I mean, they've got some residual effects. They're a little bit tougher. But yeah...

    Questioner 1

    Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay.

    Brandon Sanderson

    But yeah. General, they can be human. And so what you're seeing in Tarson is some-- one of those who actually came and-- He's the son of a full koloss-blood and a human Allomancer, which makes an Allomancer koloss-blood.

    Questioner 1

    Okay. So that's what I thought. A little human interbreeding. *unintelligible* weird.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, um, and a human could, if they wanted to, go convince the koloss to accept them, join the tribe, and get spiked. So yeah...

    Questioner 2

    It makes their skin saggy, and they start growing...?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. It makes their skin saggy, and start growing, and start ripping, and all that sort of stuff.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7378 Copy

    Questioner

    Is that theory correct where, like, the Heralds are basically, like, reversed now. Kind of going against their thing or...

    Questioner 2

    *laughs* He won't tell us. 

    Questioner 1

    I know, I know. That was my question, which I knew you wouldn't *inaudible*.

    Questioner 2

    I just wanna know more what Szeth and the stone is?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You get-- you get a RAFO card. There you go.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7380 Copy

    Questioner

    Rock is taller than the other bridgemen. When he gets under the bridge, will that make it more difficult for him? Wouldn't he have more load on his shoulders than the guys next to him?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, yes, though you will notice that I equalized for height with the pads on the shoulders. And a bridge that will run-- yeah, they will use pads and things like this. And you can customize your bridge over time. The fact that most bridgemen die before that's necessary... um, yes. But it would mean he would end up having to stoop for part of it unless you wanted to carry a lot more of the weight. Being next to Rock would probably be a fun thing. But then there are the pads, and things like that, so. *brief pause* And once they really got it going, they could re-- they could really customize that bridge. Like, you know, take off pieces underneath and things like that so that it fit everyone really well. But in Sadeas's army you don't really get to that point.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7382 Copy

    Questioner

    It seems like-- So the cosmere stuff keeps the physics in there, with the Coinshots, and things like that, it doesn't ignore mass an inertia.

    Brandon Sanderson

    No.

    Questioner

    I love that! And I love that about Jim Butcher's books too. 'Cause they keep the physics. It seems like, with the young adult stuff, it's more based on intent...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, the young adult stuff, I do not keep physics. In Steelheart, or in Alcatraz... or in Rithmatist. I don't even worry about it.

    Questioner

    They didn't know what the line did until they knew what it was supposed to do.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, intent is important in-- Remember the magic system for Rithmatist started as cosmere. And then I made the decision with it that I was not going to have it be in the cosmere. But the magic system started as a cosmere magic system...

    *audio lost*

    ...you can do a lot when you can break laws of conservation of matter and energy, when you can cheat them by using the Spiritual Realm. But things that we really cheated on is redshifting and things like this on the time dilation in Mistborn. I don't know if you noticed that, but there should be redshift, there should be weird radiation things, there should be-- And so we had to work around a lot of those things. And we've got our workarounds in the back of our heads. But the other weird one is when Wax is flying, and he reduces his mass, I have to remember that he speeds up, when his mass goes down because of centripetal force.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7383 Copy

    Questioner 1

    Shardplate thus far has been powered by Stormlight in the spheres. But after-- now that we've got Radiants, is it powered by themselves?

    *adds something about "spren" but is spoken over by Brandon*

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well so far we have not seen Radiants wearing Shardplate.

    Questioner 2

    Yeah, I was kind of wondering that myself, 'cause-- 'cause they're not spren, because the spren were the... Shards [Shardblades]. So what <are> they?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, that's a big ol' "what really is Shardplate?" *hands RAFO card*

    Firefight release party ()
    #7384 Copy

    Questioner

    Does Roshar have plate tectonics?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Roshar does not have plate tectonics, good question.

    Questioner

    Well when I met you in Orem, I was asking about frequencies. And you said it was more the shape of the plate-- The frequency. We've got no plate tectonics, we've got people who like to sing.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Good question. Now the weird thing that we would have is with the crem, we have to do some weird geology gymnastics, because Roshar is moving...

    Roshar, the continent of Roshar, it's moving, right? As it gets weathered and things like this. Making Roshar actually work requires some really interesting scientific gymnastics. But one of them is I just didn't think plate tectonics, or even volcanoes and things, is just not something that is going to work on Roshar the way that I built it. So I just stayed away from all of that.  It's a pangaea.

    Questioners

    Is the pangaea built up of crem?

    Brandon Sanderson

     It's a pangaea built up of crem.

    Rubix

    Over a long time--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well no, because it was created at first.

    Bystander

    And then crem was on top of it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    ...The whole idea that this is a fractal-- The whole point of that is, somebody built this. Somebody built this using mathematics that you know. They said "Oh. Boom. Bing!" and grew themselves a continent.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7385 Copy

    Questioner

    So, just curious about Shardplate.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Um... In one of the books she said that it was seamless. Like there weren't any chinks in it anywhere.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are chinks, but there's no direct line to the skin. So if there-- if you see a slit, there's another little plate behind it, or something like this.

    Questioner

    Okay, okay. 'Cause I've seen them and out of artist renditions and it <looked> accordion. And I'm like, if I wanted to recreate it for my kids...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    ...it would not be accordion, would it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um... It just depends on your own interpretation. The official interpretation of Shardplate is Ben McSweeny's interpretation, which we used for Shallan's sketchbook in book 2, showing her sketches of Shardplate. So that's our official-- official interpretation. But you can interpret it yourself how you would want.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7386 Copy

    Lady Radagu

    If Shai were to gain a Shardblade and she gave it up, could she then create an Essence Mark that represented the history where she still had the blade? And then if she applied it could she summon the blade? Or a copy of it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay, so doing that sort of thing, like re-writing herself to be an Allomancer or something like this -- This is possible but in order to gain the Investiture she wants to have she will have to input that much in Investiture which her current magic system is not capable of doing. Okay? Alright, so "re-write so that I have a Shardblade" would require some sort of hacking of her magic system, which is currently impossible to her in her current situation.

    Lady Radagu

    So if she had had a Shardblade and gave it up she could not rewrite herself to have that back without more input --

    Brandon Sanderson

    She could-- Yes, exactly. Now rewriting-- That would be a lot easier than just rewriting herself so that she had a Shardblade--

    Lady Radagu

    That's what I was asking--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, but what you're asking about would be much easier and that is probably within her power. But what that would do is-- Yeah that's totally within her power. It would create some weird implications where she's summoning it and someone summons it back from her because the Shardblade thinks it's owned by two people.

    Lady Radagu

    So it wouldn't be a copy it would be the same Blade?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Salt Lake City signing ()
    #7387 Copy

    Questioner

    Have you studied Latin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have studied enough to know about it, but I have not studied enough that I could read or even figure out most origins. Yeah.

    Questioner

    Okay. 'Cause I did-- I took a semester of Latin, and I'm like, "Oh, that's where all these words came from in Brandon's writing." And...

    Brandon Sanderson

    I do often say, "Alright, I need the right feel for this." And I will go delve into Latin, and Greek, and things like this trying to-- The big question is, I'll need to create a word that imitates an ancient word from the world that we're in, but it's going to be in translation. And so often I will use a Latin root to be like-- to indicate "this is an ancient word from their world, from their scholarly language. To make a parallel to that, I'll use one from ours."

    Firefight release party ()
    #7389 Copy

    Lady Radagu

    Does being the donor of a Hemalurgic spike have any implications for your afterlife? Or how about the recipient?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is actually going to depend on-- Okay. Yes it has implications for the afterlife. Yes.

    Lady Radagu

    Okay so are there a bunch of Scadrian souls wandering the afterlife with holes in their personalities or memory or identity? Or some with extra parts tacked on?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So it has implications, but they are not exactly ones that you are assuming. So in the cosmere there is "dead" and "mostly dead". Okay? And this has been shown several times so once someone dies there is a period before they transition. Sazed talks about this in Mistborn 3. And so most of the implications are for before transition. Does that make sense? Post-transition you are going to have to ask the philosophers and the theologians who are the ones that talk about that. So there is an afterlife and an after-afterlife. Not as many implications for after-afterlife. Middle? Yes. Okay?

    Firefight release party ()
    #7390 Copy

    Questioner

    Do you form emotional relationships with your characters?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um-- Yeah I would say that I do. Mmhmm.

    Questioner

    For instance, reading The Way of Kings, I really dislike Sadeas. Do you feel that way about him too?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He's a rat. He's totally a rat.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7391 Copy

    Questioner

    Who is your favorite character, character development-wise?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oooh, favorite character for character development. Who develops the best? That is really hard for me to say... From any book? Who has the most development-- I would say Shallan has undergone the biggest transformation in the major books. No, Vin. Vin goes through the biggest change, so we'll go with Vin. Vin's the best character development across the course of the books.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7392 Copy

    Questioner

    Does Vasher have a favorite animal? *laughter* I warned you, it was random.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Does Vasher have a favorite animal.

    Questioner

    You've thought of just about everything else for your books--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, I know... Would Vasher have a favorite animal? I'm sure that he had a pet or something growing up. Vasher hates just about everyone and everything these days.

    Questioner

    What about squirrels?

    Bystander

    It's a weasel!

    Brandon Sanderson

    He does like squirrels! Undead squirrels.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7393 Copy

    Questioner

    Where did the idea to use chalk come from?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Y'know, I have trouble pinpointing that one. I remember the idea of chalk circles, and things like that, and just seeing those in the lore of our world's sort of magical mythology and thinking about chalk circles. I remember thinking about how I want to do a book some day about people who play a game with magic, and things like that. At the end it is just one of things that I'm like "Hey, magical Starcraft with chalk. Go!" and I just started working on it, and it happened.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7395 Copy

    Questioner

    Where did you get your inspiration for Kaladin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Kaladin came because I was reading about the life of a surgeon in the Medieval age and how it-- how strange it was to be like this person who had one foot in science and one foot not, and that was really interesting to me. And he evolved a lot over time becoming more the hybrid warrior and things like that. But that's where it started, what it was like to live and be a surgeon in a Medieval world.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7396 Copy

    Questioner

    So the highstorms, they're just one storm that goes around the world or--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well there are different philosophies in the world about that but-- The scientifically-minded believe their is only one storm that goes around the world. The lore says that there is a place the storms blow out of called the Origin. But the scientists don't believe that that is true.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7397 Copy

    Questioner

    Is there more to the Roshar world than what is shown on the map or is it just that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is only one continent. Now if you are paying attention, that's not answering your question completely.

    Questioner

    It's just different realms and all that. I meant like more landmass.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is only one continent on Roshar.

    Questioner

    Just different versions of it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That doesn't mean there aren't islands out there.

    Now the Mistborn world there is a whole lot more.

    Questioner

    We've only had that one little part so far.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, but it's basically almost all empty because... Which is actually very fun for the worldbuilding, is this idea of a mostly unpopulated world.

    Firefight release party ()
    #7398 Copy

    Questioner

    So I have heard that it is harder to Push a Shardblade with Allomancy than it is a normal sword.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Is that true of both living and dead Shardblades?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Equally?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh, no.

    Questioner

    Okay, so it's even more difficult to Push one alive.

    Brandon Sanderson

    The thing-- An Invested object is more difficult with any of the magics. So, for instance, even a Feruchemical metalmind is going to be harder. Depends on how much it is Invested, and things like that. But, y'know, it can range from you barely notice it or don't even notice it to "Wow, that's hard to Push on". Same for a Hemalurgical spike, depending on how much Investiture is left over, how long has it been outside of a body, and things like that. Same thing Pushing on something inside a person's body, their Investiture is going to interfere with it.

    Same thing, when you read White Sand, why a person slapping their hand through someone's stream of sand can throw off the entire creation of the sand mastery. It's just-- There's interference patterns, and things like that.

    Questioner

    And is that true of a Drab as well? Does the body affect--

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Drab is going to have less.

    Questioner

    So they just have less Investiture, but they still have some natural Investiture?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They do still have some. They've lost their Breath but that isn't the entirety of the Investiture inside of them.

    Almost all of the times we see Vin--in fact I think every time--we see Vin, or someone in the Mistborn books, Pushing or Pulling on an Invested metal they are either drawing on the mist or they're Elend or the Lord Ruler who have the enhanced power, or something like that. Or it's a duralumin Push, or its one of the Inquisitors who's had a spike-- y'know, and things like that, that've-- And so it's not something that you see done very often in the Mistborn books.

    Rubix

    I can actually confirm that's correct.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh you guys looked it up?

    Rubix

    I checked.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I mean it can be done. And depending on Investiture it can be not even that hard to do but--

    Firefight release party ()
    #7400 Copy

    Questioner

    So are you going to write a Sixth of the Dusk novel?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Probably not. A lot of the little cosmere novellas that I'm doing, they are less important to the overarching plot of the cosmere that I designed. And so I want to visit them, show different places in the cosmere and how the magic is affecting different worlds, but the goal is not to incorporate them into the mainline story. I mean the main story takes place mostly on the planets you've seen, with a couple of other ones, and I'm sticking to that.

    Questioner

    So are you going to write a series that ties all the major ones together?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.