LessThanGeorge

The Mistborn-Vin series ends in a similar fashion to how it begins. Brandon said he found the concept of a fantasy story where the promised hero fails and the world plunges into chaos to be highly intriguing. This meaning Alendi's downfall, and the rise of the oppressive Final Empire. Thus, Vin and Elend's deaths brought the trilogy full circle, except that the series ended on a higher note than it began, for the simple fact that their deaths meant something. Additionally, their deaths were completely in character; one of the recurring themes in the series is sacrifice. Vin and Elend spent much of the series fighting to save Scadrial, and are absolutely the type of people who would not hesitate to give up their lives if it meant saving the world; the sacrifice was completely in line with their morals. The Mistborn-Vin series had an ending that was happy, yet imperfect. Vin and Elend's deaths were necessary; Scadrial was in such dire peril that defeating Ruin without sustaining major casualties would have been too convenient, and would have diluted the ending had Vin and Elend survived. I would say that, objectively, the main characters' deaths were finely done and a vital element of the series' greatness.

I read TWoK on paperback for the first time last summer, and I felt the desire to go through it again pretty shortly afterwards. So I feel ya. TWoK is one of the only books I bought twice, because I felt the need to own the hardcover. I'm halfway through my second read and as with most high-level fantasy, the second read is a rewarding experience because I have a better understanding of the characters, setting, and plot. Plus the ability to pick out hints and important details that the author may have dropped regarding later events and/or sequels. Sanderson is particularly skilled in this regard.

Now this is definitely wishful thinking, but I like it! I think a Kelsier/Szeth battle would be one for the ages. Oh, the potential.

Welcome, welcome. This is the place where I learned most of what I know about the Cosmere. It's always awesome to have more people with more theories join the party.

I'm in the majority. I started reading Wheel of Time in 2005 I believe. Although I had heard of Sanderson, I never picked up any of his books until 2012. I was so impressed with The Gathering Storm, it ended up being my favorite WoT novel, so I decided that I owed it to myself to read some of his own work. Picked up The Way of Kings, moved on to Mistborn, and never looked back. Although I do consider Jordan among the best fantasy authors ever, Sanderson has the potential to surpass him if the Cosmere saga lives up to its hefty promise.

That's very true, Stormfather. Not to say that the Interlude characters will become major POVs, but Brandon is not the kind of author who would introduce characters and then not give them some sort of role to play later in the story. Beyond ripple effects though, I think they'll make actual appearances in the main arc. That already somewhat occurred when Shallan talked to Nan Balat through spanreed once in TWoK. Speaking of him, we're definitely going to see a lot of Nan Balat in Book 2, since that's the one with Shallan's flashbacks.

Oh, and I just remembered that theory that one of the side characters from Baxil's chapter is possibly one of the Heralds in disguise. Forgot the name, been a while since I read that one. If anyone is familiar with this theory, can I get a little more info on it?

Obviously we love the worlds of the Cosmere, but we could definitely get to know more about the world we live in. I personally am from the New York area. I live just north of NY City, in a boring town in Westchester County. It's one of the most affluent areas in America, with a high cost of living in terms of rent, gas, insurance, food, pretty much everything. I've always felt that I don't fit in here, as a guy who's been in the lowest income bracket for his entire life. Westchester's residents tend to be on the arrogant side, and I have a superb group of friends, but it's difficult to meet people with whom I really identify. Strangers are not open to meeting new people, and it's hard to engage them in conversation; if I'm looking for a place, and I ask some people walking down the sidewalk, 80% of them wouldn't even respond. The greatest point in Westchester's favor is its proximity to New York City, without a doubt. NY is a fun, diverse city with excellent skate spots, possibly the best concert scene in the country, as well as more landmarks and attractions than one could hope to see in one visit. It's a short 40-minute train ride away from my town. Never try driving there, though. It's a pure traffic nightmare. Oh, and the pizza is top notch. I don't often have the luxury of venturing out of NY, so I'd love to know more about where you all come from. Discuss the awesome things about the area in which you reside.

If you follow Sanderson on FB, you may have seen him post this link today. If not, here it is: (MINOR SPOILERS. More like a few points to speculate on, but stop reading if you want to go into Stormlight 2 fresh.) This shows his process for outlining and pre-writing an interlude chapter: specifically, Rysn, who was also an interlude character from TWoK, chapter I-4. The vid is worth watching, as there are a few interesting tidbits revealed. Brandon says that (at the moment) he does not plan to use many recurring Interlude characters. He wanted to make an exception and have at least one Interlude character return as a POV in Stormlight 2 Rysn encounters Axies through a chance meeting in the Reshi Isles. This means that Interlude characters WILL come back into play in the story, just not necessarily as POVs. It's interesting to note that Rysn's chapter is I-4 in TWoK, and she meets up with Axies, whose chapter in TWoK is I-5. Did Sanderson knowingly place these chapters side by side with the intent for these two characters to meet? If the above is true, then that suggests that Ishikk from I-1 could meet Nan Balat from I-2. Baxil from I-7 could meet Geranid from I-8. This is, of course, wild speculation, but it's fun to think about. This got me thinking. Brandon is noted to be largely influenced by Wheel of Time, a series in which minor characters from the series' beginning (Galad, Gawyn, Lan, etc.) have their characters expanded on over the length of the story, later receiving their own prominent arcs. I always believed that Interludes were Sanderson's method of setting up arcs that will later become important to the story at large. Which characters in Stormlight Archive (Interlude or otherwise) do you think have the potential to later become recurring characters?

It's my favorite series of all time. I'm shocked to see so many people don't like it, for whatever reasons. I personally think the proportions of the tale are as epic as it gets, and the characters are some of the most memorable. Not only that, A Song of Ice and Fire has a good chance of being recognized as the greatest literary work of our era; people in the 2100s will look back on culturally significant interestes of today and recognize GRRM as a prominent name.

Now, to be honest, I didn't care for Black Prism all that much. I felt that the story moved very slowly and the book didn't keep my interest. Weeks' Night Angel trilogy is a different story, that series was a fun thrill ride. That said, I plan on picking up The Blinding Knife at some point, because there is potential in the Lightbringer story, as several posters above have noted.

Okay, my backstory is as simple as it gets. I'm a diehard lifetime fan of Less Than Jake. My name is George... you get it.

Heyo Aaron. I'm new here too. Weren't you impressed with the way Brandon finished WoT? Not perfect, of course, but I think he pretty much nailed Rand and Egwene's arcs in The Gathering Storm.

Let me start by telling you in advance that it's a pleasure to be here and to meet you all. My name's George, 22, from the New York area. I started reading Sanderson a couple years ago, after hearing his name for the longest time. The Gathering Storm was my favorite Wheel of Time book, and I decided that I owed it to myself to check out some of Brandon's solo work. I picked up The Way of Kings, and I became hooked. I remember the first time I saw Hoid's name in Mistborn and I realized "wait a minute... IT'S ALL CONNECTED " I'm here to learn more about the Cosmere, because I can see that everyone here has solid theories. I'm excited to watch a new epic develop from the beginning. In my spare time, I longboard, write, play PS3, go to concerts, and read (duh!). I'm an accounting major, a stoner, a metalhead, I love coffee. Say hi... Let's talk, let's chill!