Nisana

Yes, it was that. I had prepared a long question analyzing the similarities of superheroes and main characters in fantasy and in urban fantasy and he answered me something like: "this is a good interpretation, but what really happened was that..."

Yes, I couldn't ask very specific questions, 'cause the readers of the magazine don't know very well the Cosmere. The moment I like more was the meeting at the Theater, with Sanderson, Brooks and Erikson (there were also Philip Reeve and another author, Kahn). When Brooks was asked what kind of magic object he would like to have, he asked for something to control Brandon's mind, in order to make him write his stories. Brandon answered to the same question in a way that made us all laugh: he answered that the question was incomplete, because he knows a lot of stories about someone who find a magic object and this kind of stories doesn't have an happy ending. So, if the story about him finding a magic object was written by Terry Brooks, well, that's not a problem: maybe there would be a quest and, finally, a happy ending. But if the author of the story were Steven Erikson, well, better not try to catch the magic object and run away... I'm sorry my English is so bad that I can't make it fun as it was. I asked him some questions about the Cosmere, but I think that you already know all the answers. Maybe, it's more interesting the answer about the Reckoners: he told me how he had the idea of this series (but maybe you know this too).

I was there for all the five days, think I met some of you while waiting for the signatures (who was the guy who was writing down the answers?). I interviewed Brandon for the italian Fantasy Magazine and was there at his educational on writing and I asked him several questions. Today I was at the meeting with Brandon, Terry Brooks, Steven Erikson and Philip Reeve and it was epic! If you are interested, I will write something about it in Italian, but I could translate something in English, 'cause it was really great. I will post it tomorrow 'cause I just arrive from Lucca and I need some sleep after five days of Lucca Comics

Well, I don't know very much about Jewish mysticism, but there is a greta difference between what happened to Adonalsium and the Sephirot: in our situation (if I understand well) Adonalsium is divided in 16 pieces, and so the complete "God" (or whatever he/it is) is not anymore (or, if he is still existing, it doesn't have the power or the level of existence which he had before the shattering. The Sephirot do not involve a "breaking" of the superior God: it's "only" a way they show a part of it, which still exist and it is so beyond human nature that you cannot understand it. I don't remember, but I will check if there is a Gnostic theory about it. At this moment, the only god that I remember being broken (divided in parts) is Osiris, but I really don't think it could be a possible source. (There is also Dyonisus, but the comparison doesn't work, I think). Maybe an Indian myth in the Veda? But, searching for a source, I found out an interesting text from Philip Dick (Valis trilogy), where the characters speak about a sudden division of the deity. I haven't read the book and the quotation I've found is in Italian, so I don't know how it sounds in English (maybe it hasn't anything to do with it). But maybe it could be interesting.

Nightblood! Poor thing, no one wants to speak to it: don't understand why, it has such an interesting conversation. Maybe it will find a suitable owner, who will like its main features!

I've never thought about a plot to destroy Adonalsium, but I imagine him/it as a force producing life or at least civilization in the cosmere, and so this lead me to think about his opposite as a Chaotic force, which try to destroy what Adonalsium does.

Hm, a Hoid-stamp: that would be the only way to induce me collecting stamps... if they could speak like Wit!

Well, I don't know but Harmony seems to have no problems even if he has in himself Ruin and Preservation, which are opposite: it seems that he has more power than the two separeted Shards

When Hoid says these words, he also says that he began his existence as an idea: do you think that it is a metaliterary idea (he is referring to his being a character in a book) or that in the first moments of his life he was not human?

I think it will be Seth, for the reasons you have written: he probably will fight against the Shins (what will happen to the Honorblades?) and so we need to know what happened before. But...maybe, his training as a Skybreaker will take more time and the revenge against his people will be in book 4? (No, I really hope it's not, because I love Nightblood!) I'd really like Eshonai (I'm the only one?). It's interesting to understand the relationship between the Listeners and their gods: I hope that from the memories contained in the songs someone, maybe Rlain, maybe Eshonai's mother, will find a way to free the Listeners, and to do something about Venli. It would be interesting to see the difference of the points of view of humans (Dalinar) and Listeners on the meeting of the two groups.

According to this timeline, there could be a connection between Seth taking the dark globe to Jar Keved and the "meeting" between Shaman and Pattern (the first one)?

Darkness, I really like your theory about Oathpact being of Cultivation! (even if I think that requiring obedience to such a pact could be of Honor) It's the most convincing theory I've read!

hmmm, that sounds good, it could be a good pact, but...it doesn't seem a honor-thing: well, if you think about it, the Heralds are chosen by Honor and Kaladin, in order to be a KR, has to defend even those who he hates. So, it's not easy to be tied to Honor, because you have to do what is properly right, even without rewards and even if you could hate what you doing (saving someone you hate, for example). The Heralds must be more "honorable" than the Radiants, they are on a superior level: just think about Nin (even if we could think that he's mad). So, I don't believe that they were granted a great life for thousand years and, after that, a period of war: don't know, I think that the torture, somehow, was a part of the Oathpact. I have to re-read the prologue (and unfortunately I have it only in Italian (so maybe it's not so well translated), but it doesn't seem to me that the torture was a recent thing, but something that happened many times before. Maybe it's not. On the other hand, there's a strange thing: the cosmere is divided in three realms, and the deaths (if I understand well) belongs to the spiritual realm: but when the Heralds die, according to you they return in the physical realm. Well, as the Shards do not know about the afterlife (I think about the last quotation in this topic) Honor must have done something in order to recreate their body in the physical, somehow and somewhere. Do you all think that Desolations come from Odium? I'm not so sure (maybe it's a stupid thing): but I thought that the difference between this desolation and the previous ones was the presence of Odium on Roshar. As for the Tranquilline Halls, I've always imagined (as Cam) that they were the original planet from where the humans arrived on Roshar: not all the Shards may have recreated humans in their world as Ruin and Preservation.

There's something I'd like to know about the Heralds and that maybe has been explained somewhere: is there any explanation of why the Heralds have to suffer between the desolations and where they go in the "hell"like place of torture? (sorry if you have already answered this questions, I didn't find them)

Just thinking...that all the future Radiant are broken, and it seems to be required to become one: so, we have to wait for Adolin to be broken to show his powers?