Questioner
Can Connection be inherited?
Brandon Sanderson
Technically, yes. But maybe not how you're thinking, but yes.
Can Connection be inherited?
Technically, yes. But maybe not how you're thinking, but yes.
Is there anything you can tell us about where the listeners are? From Narak, after they--
Yes. They are still kind of in the area. They have made their way out through the chasms, out onto some floodplains on the other side.
The way Sazed describes the people group [of Trell] in the first time he explains it and later on in Hero of Ages seems fairly different. Is that because of different perspective on religion, or how the religion is?
Let's just say that is intentional.
The Luthadel guard in The Final Empire, the garrison leader, his name is Bevidon, which sounds suspiciously like Bavadin.
It does.
Is there any connection there?
RAFO.
*written* Is Felt and agent of Harmony? If not, is he a member of a secret society that we have seen?
*written* Felt is different in his allegiance depending on the part of his life.
*spoken* Felt's allegiance has changed at various times during-- yeah, we'll just say that. His allegiance has changed over the years. There are times he's been a rogue agent.
The lighteyes-- Do their eyes actually glow or is it just blue or green?
No. It's a very pale blue or green though. You can tell pretty easily looking at them who's lighteyed and who's dark. They don't glow. So--
It's otherworldly?
Some of them would look-- You would say otherworldly, but not impossibly. You can find people on Earth who have eyes the shade that they are. Not all of them, right? Because some of them are yellows and things like that that we don't have. But if you looked at them and they were here, you might wonder if they were wearing contacts but it wouldn't be unusual to find out they weren't.
Is Shallan's truth, "I am hap-- It's okay that I can be happy?"
I'm going to dig into that, but this is a big part of it. Let me RAFO that because I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to express it as it goes along, but that sentiment is a huge part of what's going on with Shallan.
I was expecting her to manifest Shardplate in the middle of her wedding because she had spoken such a core truth of her identity.
Let's just say that I'm being very careful about how I show off the first manifestations of Shardplate for narrative reasons.
So were the Dawncities, the ones based on cymatic patterns, created using a supercharged combinations of the Surges of Cohesion and Illumination? Using Cohesion to make the ground liquid and using Illumination to create the frequency.
You are theorizing in the right direction.
Is the reason Renarin's name is greyed out due to a conflict of Fortune with Odium, similar to [an electrum] user fighting an atium?
Yes.
Because of Glys' corrupted nature as a spren of Sja-anat, does that mean that Renarin's swearing different Ideals than the mainstream Truthwatcher ideals?
Um... I'll RAFO that for now. But there will definitely be some differences.
Is Urithiru originally from Roshar, or did it come from somewhere else?
Ah, great question! It was built on Roshar...
How would a man-made island show up in Shadesmar? Would it just show up?
It would show up usually as a regular island, depending on how long it's been there, and how people think of it, and stuff like that.
If a Dysian Aimian had the Elsecaller honorblade, could just a single hordeling transition to the Cognitive Realm? 'Cause I think I've heard that a person couldn't just transition a single part of their body.
They could transition a single hordeling, but as it works right now, they would probably lose contact with the host and would become broken-off and no longer part of the hive. It's not truly a hive. But it would be like of your finger got cut off and sent to-- something like that. It would start acting independently.
So would you have to have the preponderance of the Dysian Aimian transition to the Cognitive Realm? And the ones that stayed in the Physical Realm would be cut off?
Yeah. It would be bad for half-and-half to go. Let's say that, one thing that they would love to be able to do is to have a little more versatility there. Let's just say that.
What was Paalm doing during Era 1?
I will answer that someday, so I'm going to RAFO it for now.
Is the crem--is it natural--are the highstorms magically created and that's why--
Yeah the crem is there to keep the continent from washing away. So I had to add a magical element that, if it were not in the cosmere with magic, this would not work.
Is that why the Weepings don't have crem, is that's a natural storm?
That is because I didn't want there to be too much crem at that point. These are all story structure things, instead. World-wise, I would say a little more natural, sort of blow off steam, there.
Is the reason that the Fused have access to unlimited voidlight is because Odium's alive, and the Radiants have that access that limited access to Stormlight because Honor is dead?
Not exactly... They do not have access to unlimited voidlight, how about that.
What is your favorite curse word from your books?
Probably, "storming", it's the easiest.
Are Kaladin and Shallan going to end up together?
Read And Find Out.
In The Stormlight Archive, you've got the actual book The Way of Kings, are you planning to write it?
No, I am not. I feel like it would be an exercise that would take a lot of effort for very little value to the community or to myself. I like it also being open-ended so I can be like, "Oh, this should be in there," and then be like "Hey, here is a new quote from The Way of Kings".
If you had to pick actors to play Kaladin, Lopen, Skar, Dalinar, and Rock, who would you pick?
I'm not sure if I could pick them all. I really like Dave Bautista for Dalinar, he is somebody that I think would do a really good job. I can give you that one; I'm not sure about the others.
[Their question is] Why do you hurt Kaladin so? They're really sad by that. And why can't he be happy? And who the heck is Wit?
I hurt Kaladin because I tell the stories and the characters put themselves in the situations. Why can't he be happy? Kaladin has a hard time with happiness. He is working on it.
Does Stormlight go into the Cognitive Realm during a highstorm?
RAFO.
Who is Wit?
Wit is a character named Hoid, who existed before the gods of the various Cosmere planets were created, and was involved in that situation.
What's the strangest thing you've made yourself an expert about for the sake of your books?
Eunuchs? I would not call myself an expert, but it is one of the odder things I have researched.
Who is the oldest person in the Cosmere?
I've been asked this before, and I think I RAFO'ed it. Frost is up there. But I don't think Frost is actually the oldest.
So to be determined?
RAFO.
Who is Trell?
Trell? Depends on who you ask.
He is the god that Wax... *inaudible*
Or a random person on Taldain, or someone referenced in Era 2, there are lots of different things that Trell could be.
Any chance we are going to see some more of Silence in the Forests?
You will probably see Threnody again, but the book will not be about Silence.
*groans* Maybe about Silence?
Probably not.
Are you going to add space whales to the cosmere?
There will be things like that, but they won't actually be whales.
Are you going to make a prequel to the Rithmatist series?
I'm not planning to right now. When I write more, you will find out more about the past also.
You used the Julia Set as a basis for the map of Roshar; Is there any meaning beyond it, using the Julia Set? Or is more, "This is striking to me-"
The meaning is my fascination as a layman with fractals and equations. It is supposed to mean something in world; that Roshar was grown with a mathematical equation.
But not specifically that one?
Not specifically the Julia Set. You can't learn much from the Julia Set.
Do we ever get to see more of Threnody?
You should, if I can figure out when to get the Threnody novel in, it's going to be a lot of fun.
Like you said earlier you are trying to finish some things--
Before I start new things. You wouldn't see it until Stormlight 5 is done, for sure.
When you pictured Kelsier in the Mistborn Series, did you see him as a Christlike figure?
He sees himself that way, I do not.
And the church that follows up after him, is that more like *inaudible*
It is hierarchical like some Christian churches are, but it is not meant to reference any specific church. I do not personally see Kelsier as... he has a more inflated opinion of himself than I think he should have.
Your 2019 writing line up?
Stormlight 4 will take the entire year.
Do you have a single name that you use to refer to all the singers, and the listeners, and the Parshmen: that entire species?
Yeah, I usually use listener, but that's a cultural thing. So, I don't right now.
I keep struggling with what to call them as a species, and eeehhh are they all singers? I mean they aren't really all singers.
We'll settle on something eventually.
Okay, but we don't have anything right now.
Yeah.
Adolin's sword in Oathbringer, its name is Maya, which I think is cool cause that's my name, but is that-- is she going to become more important?
That is what we call a Read And Find out. No promises, I can't say either way. Can't give you spoilers.
From what I understand, Ruin and Preservation create the world together, and they created humanity as copies of the original humankind. So how did they give Allomancy to Scadrial?
Yes. So the magic systems are kind of built into the setting and the world. And there are certain natural pathways that exist, in the same way there are certain natural pathways for them to create life. Which is my explanation for why life is so similar on all the different planets, is that they're following natural pathways, and these magics are kind of the same way. For instance, Lightweaving predates the Shattering of Adonalsium. A lot of these other things are suggestive of magics that existed before that were built around Adonalsium. They weren't 100% created by the Shards, but they also do have the Shards' influence on them.
Wayne... Which order would he be in?
It would take-- He would probably fit best as an Edgedancer, would be my guess. Most of the Orders would look very strangely upon Wayne, let's say that.
If you had an AI like M-Bot with subroutines that simulate emotions, if it was written well enough, could it attract a spren?
I will RAFO that for now, I have been asked it a bunch. Let's just say, AI in the cosmere are going to be an interesting thing to explore. We will explore that.
Both the languages described in Warbreaker and The Stormlight Archive contain a letter or glyph called the shash. Is that a consequence of both languages originating from a common root language on Yolen or is there something more complicated going on?
Less complicated.
Are the Unmade and the spheres that contain them only on Roshar or are they in other planets in the cosmere?
You need to rephrase that question a little bit. Ask me again, remembering there's a big difference between the Rosharan system and the rest of the cosmere. There's three planets in the Rosharan system.
*Gestures* Particularly in these ones.
It's possible that Unmade influence and existence would extend beyond Roshar.
Can lerasium alloys grant Feruchemy?
It c--RAFO, we'll RAFO that.
Do humans with singer ancestry have vestigial gemhearts?
RAFO. Good question.
Do we know the other talents of Dusk's uncle's Aviar? Because he had three.
I don't think I've revealed those.
Is it possible to form a bond with a Threnodite Shade?
Oh like a Nahel bond, a spren bond? RAFO.
What would be your callsign in the Skyward [universe]?
Oh, my callsign? It would probably be--it's too long. "Mr. Prolific" is what they called me in college. Something like that.
Szeth Son-Son. When did his name change from Son to Son-Son.
When he was made Truthless.
Do we know the time of when he was made Truthless? How long has he been Truthless since the [Prologue]?
I know, but I'm not confident enough, because I rely on Karen so much to fact check my numbers.
Is it like a couple of years or a lot of years. Recent?
I would say recent, but that's also subjective and relative.
Because if he's lived a thousand years, then a hundred years could...
Yes, but he hasn't lived a thousand years.
So, he's lived about thirty years...
Mmhmm.
Was Vo really the First Returned?
RAFO!
Does Taravangian have any darkeyed grandchildren?
RAFO because because *sheepish laugh* I don't know for sure.
An epoch, is that a standardized set of time or relative?
It is not a standardized set of time.
So it could be variable like, when dad gets home from work til when leaves from work.
Well, that's not going to be one, but yeah... The epochs were way better defined in the original Way of Kings. I let them be more squishy.
In the original Way of Kings, like a first edition?
No, in the Prime, that I read from.
God-King versus God-King. Susebron versus Rashek, who comes out on top?
Rashek, probably.
By a lot or a little?
Well, here's the thing. I think Susebron is at the disadvantage in almost every situation.
Okay. How so?
Rashek has been alive longer. Rashek knows what he's doing. Rashek has martial training. Rashek has killed a lot of people, Susebron never has. Fewer scruples. His magic is way more combat-oriented. He can get out of range a lot easier. He has power emotional Allomancy, which Susebron would *inaudible*.
Granted, he's got so much investiture, he may be able to shrug that off. But still, I would put Rashek at the advantage.