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I haven’t been able to read Aether of Night yet, but I’m curious if we know of other Aethers besides Crimson, Rosite, Sunlight, Zephyr, Midnight, and Verdant? spoilers for the Lost Metal and Tress:

Which Arther or multiple Aethers would you bond to? I think there could be some really cool combinations.

So Brandon mentioned that the composition of the Nightmares is related to Midnight Essence and Nightblood's black smoke. I wonder if this also relates to the material that the Aether of Night assumedly grants the Sorceress of the Midnight Sea control over.

So to those of you who have read Aether of Night I think that the Midnight sea Aether is ferrous since this would be incredibly terrifying and give the Sorceress a very scary reputation since the Aethers upon ingestion and exposure to liquid might have an effect similar to making you a Corpate you would become a slave to the sorceress. Thoughts?

if your like me, you only came for aether of night, then found out that there is more.

Brandon said that it would be availible on this forum, but where?

I've edited the The Way of Kings Prime cover to make covers for a few other unpublished works, as I thought the cover looked rather nice, and that the other unpublished novels needed covers anyway. The Pimp My Aether thread explains how to convert the Word files to eBook formats and attach covers. White Sand: Aether of Night: Dragonsteel Prime: Liar of Partinel: Mythwalker: Mistborn Prime: Final Empire Prime:

After seeing @Elegy inspiring post on the statistical analysis of White Sand Prose, I decided i would do the same thing for AoN. Ive modeled the charts after the ones Elegy provided. and will be putting the chapter by chapter in a spoiler tag because of its length i wanted to also do one for Mistborn Prime, but its told entirely in the PoV of its main character, so there’s no point i didnt count the introduction by brandon at the beginning, chapter headings, etc... so its a few thousand words shorter than the full document Enioy! p.s. i refer to chapter 29 as “chapter 28” because there is no chapter 28 Unique POV Breakdown: Character (8) # of POVs (102) % of Total POVs Word Count (152,380) % of Word Count Raeth 54 52.94% 107,626 70.63% D’Naa 34 33.33% 34,697 22.77% Laene 5 4.90% 3,529 2.32% Darro 4 3.92% 3,990 2.62% Shaad 2 1.96% 1,077 0.71% Ala’d 1 0.98% 323 0.21% Agaris 1 0.98% 739 0.48% The Former 1 0.98% 399 0.26% its also interesting to note that even though Darro only got less than 4,000 words told through his PoV throughout the novel, Brandon loved his character enough to make him a transplant character in Nightblood(whenever it comes out)

Having just finished Aether of Night earlier this morning I'm finally ready for this. Disclaimer: Booknerd is not responsible for your being imprisoned, accidentally imprisoning yourself, or being splintered by the prisoner/ army of food mystics. (If the food Mystics thing happens it's Hoid's fault) It should be noted by the reader that few Shards have every been captured and of the ones we know of(with the possible exception of Adonalsium) all have been accomplished by other Shards, and probably would best be used as a delay tactic than a permanent solution. Now to begin trapping a shard one must make a prison from their own power or Powers in the case of a tag team. One should note that power inequalities become skewed by prisons of this magnitude. Preservation was able to capture Ruin who at the time was more powerful as well as uncanotically in Aether of Night Decay was able to capture two shards at the same time. Warning in creating this prison you give your prisoner a huge advantage over you as can be seen by both Honor and Preservation being killed and Honor splintered by the shards they captured. Part two being inside a prison. Shardaic prisons vary but most tend to be designed to either seperate one's mind from their power, or push back on any attempt to use ones power. No prison is infallible however and all will eventually allow the prisoner some level of control over the outside world e.g. Ruin, Odium, and everyone in Aether of Night. Please note that escaping is incredibly time consuming so make sure you have a lifetime subscription to your favorite streaming service and thousands of rolls of toilet paper.

The epic fantasy genre is still relatively young, at least compared to other literary genres. The foundational work of creating an entirely new category of literature, one defined by the creation of an entirely new fictional world where the story takes place, is attributed to J.R.R. Tolkien. Everything Tolkien had done have become standard fantasy tropes: dark lords, medieval settings, elves and dwarves. Of interest here is the medieval settings part, which defines so much of the fantasy genre: fantasy world settings are mostly based on Europe, around the medieval time period in thought and technology and the nobility. I'm not referring to the quality here, which is it's own trope, but the idea related to class & bloodline & the divine right of kings. Brandon Sanderson is Mormon, so the portrayal of religion in his works is something that has been discussed a lot. You can find answers to most questions you might want to ask him regarding this on his site itself and there's plenty of discussion here on the forums, on reddit, etc. The trope of nobles and commoners in his works, however, is something that is not discussed enough in my opinion, and when it is, it's usually mentioned as a throw-away comment: "yes, we get it, Brandon, not all nobles (are bad)" This trope has evolved over time from its origin, the divine right of kings. In the Lord of the Rings the only difference between the line of Kings and the line of Stewards is their pedigree. Some people are apparently inherently superior and thus have the right to rule over the rest of them. Let's not get into the other critiques of LoTR like race or apologetics (I suggest looking into CS Lewis for more on this). Denethor was a bad ruler not just because he was a bad ruler but because he wasn't the rightful ruler. Aragorn comes and he's the rightful heir and everything's chill now. The themes are still kinda there in Sanderson's works too, the trope has been transformed but not truly subverted. In Mistborn era 1, book 2, Elend institutes a constitutional monarchy which is still very skewed with only 1/3 of the representatives being skaa. This assembly then boots him out, rightfully through Elend's own laws but Vin goes on a rampage of murdering and/or forcing his competitors to submit to his rule. In book 3, he decides that the time for debates and legislatures is later somewhere in the indeterminate future when the crisis is over. I do understand what the stakes were that motivated him to do the things he did. I'm simply pointing out a plot point. In era 2 of Mistborn, the legislative branch is divided into two halves: half elected and half aristocrats. The main protagonist is one of the aristocrats and one of the overarching character arcs for him was about accepting the responsibility of being an aristocrat. There are forces from outside of Scadrial who are involved in trying to topple this system. In Warbreaker, the God-King of Hallandren, Susebron was a figurehead ruler with the power being concentrated in the Court of Gods. The other main characters all belong to the ruling classes as well: two princesses, one of them also the queen, a member of the Court of Gods, and an enigmatic former ruler. The antagonists wanted to overthrow the system but are thwarted at the end by Susebron who comes into his powers after having been educated by the princess-queen and given back his tongue by magic. Hallandren's future looks just a bit brighter with its rightful ruler in power. In The Stormlight Archives much of the story revolves around the Kholin family, who reunified the broken kingdom of Alethkar. The idea of fighting against the Lighteyes does exist but that stuff is less important than unifying under them to face a greater threat. Also, Lighteyes are mostly descended from the ancient Knights Radiant whose eyes glowed the colour of their Order, that's where both the colour and the notion of superiority came from. In Elantris, the kingdom of Arelon moves on from plutocracy to monarchy, but we shouldn't worry because Raoden is pretty chill. ~spoilers for Aether of Night~ I'm not saying that these issues might not get resolved in future sequels. The Mistborn era 2 broadsheets seem to be hinting at civil unrest and discontent. And if @asmodeus's theory* is right, it might become a major plot point in eras 3 & 4 Stormlight might not just be about the fight against Odium but a fight against hatred. And again, I'm aware of the plot, circumstances and characteristics behind these noble characters. I'm just pointing out that these were actual plot points in the stories. Brandon has broken quite a few tropes in his prolific career but for now at least, it seems, that this is the trope that would not break *asmodeus' theory: Also, go read Powder Mage you guys! Edit: There is a subversion of this trope in Sanderson's work: White Sand. Making the Diem less dictatorial and more accountable is one of the most integral parts of the plot.

I was reading chapter 21 and noticed a similarity between something Raeth thinks and Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell Raeth is trying everything he can think of to try and stop the Forgotten army from Advancing. And he says they already tried a number of different tactics including... "clever battlefield layouts, to traps and holes dug in the ground, to throwing silver dust at the creatures--a method some legends claimed would ward away Forgotten spirits." this sounds an awful lot like the idea was transplanted into Shadows For Silence. This is why I love reading Brandons Unpublished works. It's cool to see early concepts that he later polished and transplanted into the published Cosmere.

Let me begin by saying that yes, I know that this book is semi-canonical at best, this is just for fun The two Shards on Vaeria were the Former and Decay (Former, as in someone who shapes and creates). They were later adapted into Preservation and Ruin. The Former and Preservation seem to have some differences: Preservation was said to not be able to create without Ruin, Former's Intent contains the idea of creating. This might be a contentious point though, as Preservation not being able to create without Ruin thing might've come about because without an agreement between the two, Ruin would have simply destroyed anything Preservation tried to create. It could also be that Ruin's presence allowed Preservation to create, without which he could not change anything due to his Intent. Ruin and Decay seem to be more or less the same Shard, both expressing inevitable entropy, but Decay appears to not have a magic system tied directly to him, unlike Ruin. The Fell Twins: Slaughter and Despair, Makkal and Agaris. They raise some interesting questions as to their nature. Were they Splinters, like spren? Or were they actual men who became Slivers? I think they were the former (pun intended). Their thought processes, or what we see of it anyway, seem kind of alien. They followed the letter of the rule laid down by the Former, but not the intent (also pun intended). Of course there are arguments against this: men can become just as twisted, especially over the course of hundreds of years of war, followed by imprisonment in conditions of sensory deprivation and memory loss. Then there is also the ending, where they appear to take on a human form... I don't understand who imprisoned them though The magic: Amberite, Bestarin and Night were created by Makkal (Slaughter) Verdant, Ferrous and Luminous were created by Agaris (Despair) Amberite - allows one to create and shape rose-coloured crystals into spikes, blades or armour, more powerful ones can create bigger structures. Takes the form of an embedded crystal in the back of the bearer's hand; Aether of the High Aedin royal line; end-positive. Verdant - allows one to create living vines, which are edible and nutritious though tasteless. One can also control the vines' movements to change direction mid-air, wrap someone up, find things to hold on to so as to allow the bearer to pull off a Spiderman or Tarzan impression. Takes the form of a moving vine wrapped around the user's wrist but can also grow to wrap around more of their body if the Aether or the Bond is strong; end-positive. Its source takes the form of a giant ancient tree. Bestarin - those with Bestarin bonds, when grievously wounded, can graft animal parts onto their bodies. Most notably, in the case of amputation, they can graft claws or paws and control these limbs as though they were their own; end-neutral. Ferrous - those with Ferrous bonds can build metallic architectural or mechanical structures which form around their body, trapping them within it forever. It seems that doing this also makes them functionally immortal unless the structure itself is destroyed. Other Ferrous bonded can communicate with them. A Corpate, a four limbed vehicle is a prominent example. End-neutral Night - the titular Aether, the source of which served as Makkal's prison. The well also served as the Aedin's method of public execution. The Aether of Night can be used to summon and control human shaped forms made of shadows as though the user's own body, meaning that their real body would have to remain immobile while they are controlling the shadow creatures. It can also be used to teleport oneself. It also seemingly strengthens other Aether bonds, though that may have been Makkal himself. Luminous - the secret Aether of the Vo-Dari priests. Its source also served as the prison for Agaris. The well was located in the Vo-Dari compound in the Aedin capital. It can be used to teleport others by physical contact in a flash of white light. It seems not to be true teleportation, in the sense of instantaneous travel between two points without having to traverse the distance between the two, as in the books the one being Sent can still perceive themselves "turn into light" and travelling at incredible speeds to their destination. I have a few questions regarding this: why was the Aether of Night so much more powerful than the Luminous Aether, despite them both being the divine Aethers? Are the Aethers alive? D'na's Aether certainly acts alive. Or is that just a quality of Verdant Aethers due to them creating living things? Or perhaps due to the Former mostly inhabiting their source. The creatures: The Gol - created by Makkal to be fierce warriors but changed by Agaris to be gentle lovers of art who could not create art themselves. The Shentis - humans altered by the Fell Twins, rendering them infertile, apparently the only effect aside from their physical transformation. Agaris created the virus and Makkal made its effects visible. They live near the Verdant source but never communicated with the Former or tried to form a bond with Verdant though that may be because they couldn't, perhaps due to Investiture interference The Worldbuilding The cultures were not presented in the novel very well. It was very planet of the hats and often far too close to too many real-world stereotypes. The honour-bound, the intelligent, the sensual/sexist/exotic, the religiously strict, the simple: no further characterizations, no indications that this may have been just the narrators' inexperience. The male lead's perspective on being honourable and dutiful was done well, a character archetype I usually find very annoying. The two plots problem was real: The tone of the story often did not match what was happening. At first I tried to rationalize it as the male lead seeking escapism from his responsibilities, upheaval of identity and end of the world, with the intriguing female lead would-be assassin but it became harder and harder to do so as the story went on. I did not see the plot twist at the end coming, but was quite unsatisfied with it. Religious fanatics murdering everyone, not a single Vo-Dari questioned what they were doing. It was quite difficult to sympathize with them, despite the fact that to them, their god told them to extinguish two entire Aether lines (each contains hundreds or even more than a thousand individual members). Their machinations and willingness to slaughter even members of the other two lines made them feel very flat. The conclusion to the bride problem was... problematic and not all a narratively satisfying conclusion, far too quick and "funny" series of solutions to a very tension-filled problem which could have been used to flesh out the brides and their cultures.

I would like to request a copy of the manuscript for Aether of Night. Thank you, Russ

Hey i'm new is it possible to get a copy of white sand and aether of night,

Hey everyone. I have my manuscript copy of Aether of Night, but I'm wondering, is it worth it to read? I have so many books I want to read, and no time for them all. In this context, is Aether of Night worth reading?

Hi guys. So the story goes like this, I have acquired both White Sand and Aether of Night (in the prescribed ways) and was super pumped to read them, but then I started thinking. I'm not sure if I want to read them on the off chance that Brandon will eventually publish them as full fledged edited and Cannon novels. I know that White Sand is out as a graphic novel, but I read some of it and I didn't like it much - the plot felt disorienting while jumping from picture to picture, and the dialogue awkward - I feel as though it would be better as a novel. I'm also aware of the fact that Aether of Night was on state of Sanderson 2016 as a tertiary project but that means that it might be awhile until it arrives (if ever). Therefore I wanted to know if there is any recent official statement from Brandon regarding these two stories on if or when they might be published as novels. I was also wondering what any of you that have read either of these think, should I read them now or wait on the off chance that they will be published as novels?

When first reading Brent Weeks Night Angel Trilogy I noted several similarities between the setting and that of Robert Jordan's Wheel of time. In both woman magic users live in a 'white tower'. In both there is a seafaring people who do not have a breast taboo. In both There are people who go mad and/or are damaged by using to much damage. In both male magic users are looked down on I recall that there were many more nuances that were similar but I cannot recall them now. Recently reading Brandon's Aether of Night this has again become prominent in my mind as the book has many similarities to Brent Weeks Lightbringer series (Aether of Night was written first). The way that luxin grows out of the hands is similar to amberite. etc. Looking at this now this evidence seems rather scant but at the time it was obvious to me that the books were very similar in ideas ads setting etc. though both had unique writing styles. Does anyone else agree with this or have any other similarities. Regardless of this Brent Week's books are not overpoweringly copied from others and they are still amazing (I would put his Lightbringer series in the upper echelon of fantasy with most of Brandon's work).

This is the forum where--finally--you can discuss the unpublished manuscript, Aether of Night. I'm very sorry we have to password this forum. That is so we must not discuss this content outside of this board. This is for a number of reasons. First, this content is not even necessarily canonical at all. If it gets published, who knows what form it will take. Therefore it obviously is a bad idea to have theory content in the main theory boards when this isn't even necessarily true. Secondly, some don't have this content, and some people get extremely upset seeing discussion on a topic that they are "missing out" on and really lay on the hate. Let's just keep it here. For this reason the main rule--besides not talking about this stuff elsewhere--will be to not distribute the password unless they have the manuscript. If they have the manuscript, they can word search the password. I do not want to hear of people getting access to this board unless they have and read Aether of Night. Also, as should be obvious from Team Sanderson's distribution emails, don't hand out Aether of Night either! Sorry. They can go ask Team Sanderson directly. Thanks and sorry it has taken so long for this to exist.