Recent entries

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9603 Copy

    SageOfTheWise

    Is there a reason why Rashek left a nugget of Lerasium at the Well of Ascension?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He left several. It was, in his opinion, one of the best kept secrets and best protected locations in his empire.

    Phantine

    Were there originally 16 of them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    An excellent guess.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9605 Copy

    ArsenoPyrite

    Of the few 'evil' magic systems we've seen, two of the most prominent, Fjordell glyphs and stormform both involve growing nigh-inpenetrable bones under the surface of the skin. Are these pointing to some similar fell influence, or is it just a cool thing for bad people to do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is mostly coincidence.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9608 Copy

    ParadoxicalWims

    I remember reading a WoB about which of your characters you'd invite to dinner (of which Hoid and Kelsier were two) and you said the both of them have a bit of a problem with each other. Is it anything major and when did this problem happen? (Have they also seen each other again now Kelsier's a cognitive shadow?)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Big RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9609 Copy

    Phantine

    Would a lifeless Koloss still be super strong?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You see, what is happening to create a koloss is a human soul is taken, sliced up, and sutured back together--with the spikes being the "stitches" that holds it all together. That's a problem, since the various forms of investiture don't play very well together. In Awakening, you're basically giving something a counterfeit soul. (But without the skill or knowledge of something like an Essence Mark.)

    This means that in investing the corpse of the koloss, you have troubles. It's going to want to snap back to the original human shape and strength. If you COULD overcome this, then yes, it would be stronger.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9615 Copy

    FirstSelector

    When Kalak sees the ring of Honorblades in the Prelude, he describes them as "flowing in design, inscribed with glyphs and patterns." However, in the main text we encounter two (presumed) blades - Jezrien's and Talenel's, neither of which were included in Kalak's original accounting. The first is explicitly depicted as being devoid of ornamentation, and the second is ambiguous. Were all ten original Honorblades ornamented and inscribed, and if so, what causes the change?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9616 Copy

    FirstSelector

    You have claimed that the Shardworlds had their names prior to the settlement of people and Shards. However, Ruin and Preservation created Scadrial (presumably post-Shattering). Where, then, did that planet get its name, and how did the rest of the cosmere learn of it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    While many of them were named, not all of them were. And the presence of a Shard warps Shadesmar much as large objects warp the physical realm (gravitation.) So if you know how to look, it's not hard to find them.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9621 Copy

    Tellingdwar

    Regarding the classification of magics as end-positive/neutral/negative, is it correct that:

    End-positive Investiture requires extreme emotional, physical, or cognitive distress to manifest. For example, snapping into an Allomancer or the process of becoming a Surgebinder.

    End-neutral Investiture is inherent: gained by heredity, Connection with a particular region, or through mechanical means.

    End-negative Investiture requires sacrifice. For example, Hemalurgy or Dakhor teleportation.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm not ready to answer this--though you should know that connection with a particular region is happening on Sel for reasons unrelated to this line of inquiry.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9625 Copy

    RenegadeShroom

    So, I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase 'sick burn' and what it means. Assuming for a moment that it became a phrase on Roshar that fell into widespread use for a long enough time, could the phrase become strongly associated enough with the idea of fire that it actually has an effect on when flamespren can manifest? Could insulting someone harshly enough draw flamespren?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Unlikely, because when people say "sick burn" fire doesn't appear in their imagination--they're not personifying fire. Just like the name Smith doesn't bring to mind a blacksmith unless one thinks about it specifically, sick burn has taken on its own meaning.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9628 Copy

    Overlord Jebus

    The Knights Radiants have access to two Surges each, are the two Surges completely seperate or can they be combined together? Something like maybe allowing a Lightweaver to create a solid illusion by combining their Illumination Surge and their Soulcasting?

    Essentially, do each of the Orders have a special talent only they can do that isn't available to any other Order?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, they do, but it's not always directly obvious in a straightforward way, such as your example.

    Overlord Jebus

    Would the lashing system be an example of this? Full lashings apppear to be mostly Adhesion and and the basic lashing seems to be mostly Gravitational, does this mean Bondsmiths will be able do full lashings and Skybreakers can use partial and basic lashings?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9629 Copy

    18th_Shard

    4 Hemalurgic spikes steal Allomancy, 4 steal Feruchemy, and 4 more steal Human traits. Do the other four a) steal a trait every normal human has, b) steal something only some humans have, or c) steal something no human has?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9630 Copy

    18th_Shard

    Does a Herald using an Honorblade consume the same "dangerous" amounts of Stormlight?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Honorblades are less efficient; this doesn't change when a Herald uses them. (But they have other advantages.)

    uchoo786

    Are Honorblades closer in power to Nightblood than they are to Shardblades made from Spren?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hard to say. They're all similar, but at the same time, very different. And in a way, Nightblood is what you might call a "Third Generation" blade.

    uchoo786

    Ah gotcha. And in this analogy, Honorblades would be 1st gen and Sprenblades would be 2nd gen?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9631 Copy

    Yourigath

    We have seen some Hoid-related groups on the diferent worlds of the Cosmere...

    Worldbringers on Scadrial, Worldsingers on Roshar, Enefel on Sel (this one is a wild guess)

    Is there a Hoid-related group on Nalthis? Maybe the Five Scholars are part of it? (That would explain the Shardblade/Nightblood thing you've been talking lately)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hoid did not found the Five Scholars.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9632 Copy

    ParadoxicalWims

    So on theoryland there are a couple of WoBs regarding Selish Shadesmar and the ones that stuck out to me were how Rosharan Shadesmar is aligned with Roshar georaphically (and in turn, the other planets are too) and with the name of Sel's shadesmar expanse.

    So my question/assumption is...Given the above geographical alignment and sometimes inverse nature of Shadesmar, is the Expanse of the Broken Sky Sel?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm not going to confirm what any of these are, I'm afraid. (At least not yet.) You are free to theorize as you wish.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9635 Copy

    Bithorp

    On the Coppermind there is this idea that if a natural Mistborn burned Duralumin and then Lerasium it would empower them to godly levels. Would this actually happen or would another effect happen.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That actually wouldn't work, but it is a clever idea.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9636 Copy

    mooglefrooglian

    Shallan explains the theory that all spren can be divided into two categories (emotions and forces). Jasnah then links these to Cultivation and Honor, and also notes that voidspren are of Odium.

    Is this theory maybe a little incomplete? Is there a third category of spren for "sensationspren" like painspren (which don't seem to involve emotions or forces)?

    Brandon Sanderson

    In Vorin thought, those would be emotions, but that doesn't mean that the scholars who think about these things are right.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9638 Copy

    Oudeis16

    Zane comments that he's "always had" his spike. Is that just Ruin's influence making him ignore it, "oh this thing, it's always been there" or has he actually had the spike since childhood? Did he get it before he Snapped, after he Snapped, or concurrent with his Snapping?

    Brandon Sanderson

    More the first.

    After snapping.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9639 Copy

    Wolfbeckett

    Are things that are written by scholars on Roshar suspect? In Mistborn, Ruin could change anything that was written down, so can Odium do the same? Are written words on Roshar: untrustworthy, trustworthy because that ability was somehow limited to Ruin, or trustworthy because Odium COULD do it but just won't because it's not his style/he doesn't consider it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Odium didn't have a hand in creating Roshar, and his essence doesn't permeate it in the same way as Ruin permeated Scadrial. This gave Ruin a great deal more power over things like this--except when he ran into metals, of course.

    Another difference is that Odium has a fully-living, fully-aware, and very powerful Shard opposing him. (Contrasted to one that was half-dead and going mad.)

    So yes, you can trust much of what was written. Odium can be subtle when he needs to be, but his primary avenue of attack has been along a different line than the one Ruin used.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9641 Copy

    Botanica

    Are the Ten Essences from Stormlight inspired from the ancient Chinese theory of the Five Elements, which is often used to explain various physiological and patological phenomena in traditional Chinese medicine?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Part came from there. Part came from Jewish mysticism. Part came from the idea of fundamental forces.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9643 Copy

    Wigginns

    What would a Hemalurgic spike granting atium do for an Allomancer already able to burn atium? Does it function similarly to bronze, granting enhanced atium-ing? Along this line of thought, would enhancing electrum burning via spike be of any advantage?

    Brandon Sanderson

    A spike of something you have would enhance your ability, giving your more strength. With atium, more strength makes for a minimal edge--the length you can push out the atium shadows. However, there's a certain breaking point where you kind of crack the whole system, peer straight into the [Spiritual Realm], and kind of have a "It's full of stars" moment.

    Electrum could reach this same moment, potentially, though there's more interference to fight through. Extra strength in electrum isn't going to be terribly useful up to that point.

    Alsadius

    Is that what happened when atium was burned with duralumin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9646 Copy

    Rah179

    Could you give us a snippet about the Dustbringers? Or Willshapers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Dustbringers never liked their name, and tried hard to get people to use another title for them.

    awakenedtassel

    Was there a mechanical reason they weren't able to effect the name change, or was it just because the new name didn't catch on?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The latter.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9647 Copy

    babididum

    Did the Lord Ruler have any hobbies / anything he just enjoyed doing not related to being a tyrant?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He did. Actually, across a thousand years he tried pretty much everything. He was most fond of music.

    Argent

    Composing, playing, or listening to?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Playing and listening to. Not composing.

    KeleksBreath

    Did he perhaps play the flute?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, he did.

    TheCurseOfEvilTim

    Is that the flute Hoid gave to Kaladin?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9648 Copy

    LongclawDescended

    If Gavilar was still alive, would he most likely have aligned himself to or taken actions most similar to Dalinar, Amaram or Taravangian? In other words, which of the three is best acting out his will?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I can say he would align with one of them most certainly, but I want to RAFO this for now. (Though I might have made it clear elsewhere and not be remembering.)

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9649 Copy

    Rillum

    Vasher had a strange reaction when Vivenna mentioned Clod to him. Was Clod someone that Vasher knew in life? Or was this a reaction of his general disapproval of the Lifeless in general?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, Vasher has a connection to that particular Lifeless. It was indeed someone Vasher knew in life.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #9650 Copy

    The_Second_Best

    Are Feruchemists the Batman of the Cosmere? They can beat anyone with enough time to prep?

    Brandon Sanderson

    They are very versatile, but I'd say that Elantrians--on their home turf--could win in that department. They things they could do with enough preparation are even more impressive.