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This is an article I wrote a couple of months back about foreshadowing in fantasy. It is one of my favorite topics to talk about, as evidenced by this, and how I immediately jumped to the chance of being on the Dusty Wheel's episode on foreshadowing. I'd love to discuss it with all of you, and hear your opinions on the topic. Copy_of_Foreshadowing.pdf

Here is the quote for those who want it. It’s a line by Renarin, spoken to his brother Adolin. “I don’t like you get when you are around Sadeas.” So yeah, I just started a reread, and I thought that line was worth noting. Brandon FORESHADOWED the conflict All the way in chapter 12 the FIRST TIME WE MEET THESE CHARACTERS. And I don’t know if it’s relavent or not but given how we later learn about Renarin Voidbinding visions of the future, is it possible he’s been seeing them since before we met him? And ONE of the reasons he’s worried is because of a vision? I don’t know but in any case this little bit here gained SO much new relavance. That I had to share it.

I recently finished listening to Edgedancer and I was really intrigued by the Sleepless we encounter, Arclo. Specifically his very philosophical outlook, as I tender to ponder various philosophical issues as well. I was actually surprised when he mentioned to Lift an obscure philosophical theory that I myself had actually pondered several times, or at least something very similar to it. Namely the idea that whenever someone goes unconscious, they effectively die and a new clone soul comes to inhabit their body once they regain consciousness (for the record, while I admit that I've pondered things similar to this long before reading Edgedancer, I do NOT believe that this is actually true, though it is obviously completely unfalsifiable, but I digress). What struck me is how weird it seemed for him to just randomly mention something like this as literally the first thing he says to her once he sees her again in the alley, because while admittedly it does have some tangential relevance to his own philosophy that he's been developing, it seems more like just a random philosophical factoid he mentions on a whim. So I couldn't help but wonder whether there might be something more too it than that; whether it might be intended to be some kind of foreshadowing or hint relevant to either the current situation or future books. Honestly, I have no idea whether it does or not, but as far as I can tell, there have not been any WoBs asking about it, so I was just wondering what everyone thinks. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head which it might have some kind of relevance to is the Heralds, who each time they die during a Desolation they somehow return to Braize in presumably a completely new clone body, the exact mechanics of this process still being largely a mystery from what I've been able to tell. So might it be the case that the Heralds are themselves in some sense clones as well, both in body and in soul? There is at least some tenuous precedence for people getting new souls in The Emperor's Soul, albeit in a completely difference sense than what would be happening here, so that if nothing else makes me think that this idea is at the very least worth considering. Again, I'm not at all convinced that Sanderson didn't have Arclo mention that purely to further his desired image of him as being a highly abstract and philosophical thinker, but then again, it does seem like a very weird thing to put in there for no reason other than show (though I suppose that considering his species is called the 'Sleepless', that might also explain it). So I'm curious what everyone else thinks about this. Is this simply a strange but ultimately irrelevant philosophical factoid, or do you think there may be more to it than that? I definitely think that Arclo's own philosophy will probably have at least some kind of relevance later on, if only because he tells Lift that he'll be seeing her about it again, but what about this one? Any ideas?

Mistborn Foreshadowing much?

So, has it been discussed on how Dalinar may already have 9 Shadows? The people he's surrounded himself are the 9 Shadows? Perhaps 9 other orders of KR? I could easily count off at least 7 people he closely associated with who "Strengthen" Dalinar in some way. Perhaps the last few aren't KR but people that stand with him? We know He was to be Odium's Champion, so who are his Shadows?

Anyone else feel like Shallan's experience with Re-Shepnir will lead to it or another unmade doing the same thing with Alethi blade stances? I have been wondering if all the stances were just world building or non-magical systems to add depth to the story. However, it appears the unmade/voidspren are awakening much like KR and their spren have been. Maybe there will be numerous melees where the KR have the advantage in the beginning, but begin to lose any edge as the enemy learns and adapts. Well, that's my prediction. Thoughts?

Greetings! I've been a long-time lurker and I just joined because my sisters and I are collectively developing a theory...more on that later...but, while doing so, I stumbled upon something that I'm not sure anyone has brought up. I figured, since I'm pretty new at this, a far less complicated post would be a good start. If this has been previously discussed, apologies. I was analyzing the illustrations from Navani's notebook, and I was caught by surprise by what could possibly be some strong foreshadowing. The illustration details a fabrial that is used to read emotion (from TWoK). On the page, four examples of the emotions read are listed as follows: 1. Man betrayed by a close friend 2. Woman who has just been proposed to 3. Man who discovered his betrothed lied to him 4. Mother at wedding of only son So, I assume that this is an invention of Navani's and that these are actual readings that she took from people she actually knows. Obviously, each example can be debated a number of ways. (I want to make it perfectly clear that I'm not steadfastly convinced of my interpretation.) The four scenarios, however, could be connected in the sense that they involved the same group of people...specifically a certain three young people who's pairings are hotly debated on this very forum. Thoughts? Discuss... I'm very excited to see what people say. Rip it apart...go! The page in question:

I was reading The Way of Kings and I am a little bit confused about one thing. In Chapter 52, Renarin mentions the Old Magic to Dalinar after one of Dalinar's visions, and then, "The empty place in his memories where [Dalinar's] wife had once existed had never seemed as obvious to him as it did at that moment." When I read that, I guessed that Dalinar had forgotten his wife as a result of a curse from the Old Magic. Later on (I can't find the source material), Dalinar becomes a little more explicit with relating the loss of memories of his wife to the Old Magic, saying that he did consult the Old Magic, but will not reveal his curse. I am wondering two things. First, am I correct in my guess about whether this is his curse or not? (I have just finished The Way of Kings, so this is the only spoiler I am okay with for material from later books.) Second, if I am correct, did Sanderson intend this to be heavy-handed foreshadowing, or is he trusting in the intelligence of his readers to understand this about Dalinar without being explicitly told? Also, I am relatively new to using forums, so I would appreciate any advice related to structuring my posts.

Normally I'm incredibly against rereading books. But with anything written by Sanderson, my opinion changes. There is just something about the way he writes that allows me to enjoy rereads as much, if not more than the first time. It might be the way he makes characters so believable and human, it might be the way every world he makes seems so real. It might be the way I can find a way to connect with almost all of his characters. Or maybe I just like the mystery of knowing he has the entire Cosmere planned out, and know close to nothing about it. But what I want to focus on here, is just a collection of all the excellent foreshadowing Sanderson does in his works. I'm currently almost done with my fifth reread of Warbreaker, and I still am finding things he foreshadowed that I had never picked up on before. So as you find foreshadowed events, or reveals in your rereads, please post them here and I'll keep updating this post so there can be a collection. I wish I had more quotes to start this with, but I'm sure everyone on the forums will be eager to contribute . I hope everyone finds this aspect of Sanderson's writing as intriguing as I do and hopefully this can turn into a pretty exhaustive list! Basically I'm just looking for quotes or specific situations that help the reader find out what is going to happen later in the books. Not so much things that hint towards the greater Cosmere, but the outcome of the specific book or series. Please give a chapter + quote or situation so I can put them in order! Warbreaker Elantris Stormlight Archive WoK WoR Mistborn Final Empire Well of Ascension Hero of Ages

LG19: Twinborn City After seeing your peaceful village collapse- literally- with infighting and treachery, you fled to a nicer place with many companions. You attracted other twinborn with your promise of equal rights for everyone with allomantic and feruchemical powers. Although you had to exile a few dissidents, it's been quiet here. But then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. you found a dead body in the city, stabbed through the heart. Were you the murderer, or will you be a victim? There's only one way to find out. Factions Day and Night Map Actions Items Powers Allomancy Enhanced Allomantic Powers Feruchemy Kandra Blessings and Info Very Rare Occurrences Quick Links If you were in LG11, most of the rules will be familiar to you, however, a few have changed. Kipper and Elbereth and I are GMing this game. The game will start one week after this was posted, on Tuesday 29 March. Rollover time will be determined then or between now and then.

I just started a re-read of The Final Empire, and FORESHADOWING. I mean, everywhere. So, I thought it would be fun to make a thread about the various hints I'm finally picking up on. I haven't seen anything similar in searches; hopefully I'm not missing anything. Basically this will demonstrate how blind I was to foreshadowing on the first read-through. I will only include long-arc foreshadowing, I think, perhaps with a few exceptions. Though, I'll note that names of significance were dropped much earlier than I thought -- Kelsier references Lord Renoux in the prologue, for instance. Henceforth there shall be spoilers for The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages. I'll be re-reading the whole trilogy, and intend to update the original post as I go. References to page numbers are for the paperback editions, and as there will be a section for each book, unspecified page numbers are for the book of the section they're in. Mistborn: The Final Empire Page 1, Epigraph to the Prologue: They say I will hold the future of the entire world on my arms. Page 29, Chapter 2: If all went well, there would come a time when Kelsier would want to be seen and recognized. Page 32, Chapter 2: Sometimes, Kelsier felt that a skaa Misting's life wasn't so much about surviving as it was about picking the right time to die. Page 48, Chapter 3: In her mind, she thought she heard a voice whispering to her. Reen's voice. Page 65, Chapter 4: "The mistwraiths are out there. They'll grab a man and take his face, sure as the Lord Ruler." Page 77, Chapter 4: "And the koloss?" Ham asked quietly. Kelsier paused. "If he marches those creatures on his own capital city, the destruction it would cause could be even more dangerous than financial instability. In the chaos, the provincial noblemen will rebel and set themselves up as kings [...]" Page 85, Chapter 5: Yet, overthrowing the Final Empire? They'd sooner stop the mists from flowing or the sun from rising. Page 92, Chapter 5: As he stood, the mists curled slightly around his body. They twisted and spun, running in a slight, barely noticeable current beside him. The mists knew him; they claimed him. They could sense Allomancy Page 92, Chapter 5: And you can't change how much you weigh -- you're an Allomancer, not some northern mystic. Page 104, Epigraph to Chapter 6: I can feel our goal now, can sense it, though the others cannot. It . . . pulses, in my mind, far off in the mountains.