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Dan Wells' Cosmere Series


Pagerunner

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I subscribed to Dan's newsletter once the news broke he'd be working with Brandon and writing stories in the Cosmere. And he has finally dropped the first actual hint about it:

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What's Dan Writing?

I continue to work on the revision of Dark One. It's going well, but still not at the pace I would like, in part because I am splitting my time with three other major projects: a new Cosmere series and two secret things I can't tell you about.

What's Dan Reading?

Right now I'm reading Dawnshard, which is a small book that fits between Stormlight 4 and Stormlight 5. And that news, by itself, is not super exciting, but I'm reading it for a very specific reason which IS exciting but which I can't tell you :) You'll find out in a year and a half.

So, why is he reading Dawnshard? I think it's gotta be connected with his Cosmere series. So let's put on our speculation caps:

  • I don't think it's for the deep Dawnshard lore. Brandon's not gonna outsource that.
  • I don't think it's to continue Rysn's story. I guess the series could be adventures of Rysn, but what would that look like? A Roshar worldbuilding tour? Again, doesn't seem like a great fit.
  • I'm gonna guess it's Sleepless. I think Dan's Cosmere series will incorporate Sleepless into it in some form. I haven't read any of Dan's stuff, but I've heard he's a horror writer, and a non-Rosharan Sleepless as a big sentient spider colony could be a nice Cosmere cornerstone concept that doesn't tie Dan's hands too much in terms of integrating his story directly with Stormlight.
  • On the other hand... a year and a half. Why that date? The other projects that Brandon and Dan have worked on (Apocalypse Guard and Dark One) have both languished, so I don't think they'd be so optimistic as to plan a release a year and a half away when Dan's still doing research by reading Dawnshard. No, I think we'll get an official announcement of something, then. A year and a half is kinda close to Stormlight Five's planned release date; I don't think they've been any more specific than Fall 2024, although I'd expect early November if they keep the release convention pattern, and that's a year and eight months away. So maybe Dan's series is something that will follow up Stormlight Five?
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That's good news. Well, by his words in SoS:

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As for my Cosmere novels? We’re already working on the first one, but it’s mostly just brainstorming at this point. We’ve found a corner of the Cosmere—and of the fantasy market in general—that’s just begging for a series, and we’re going to take our time and do it right.

It seems like he will be writing something separate from Brandon's main series. I've never read his books, but isn't he writing horrors? So Sleepless fits this very well, because the closest we got to a true horror are two scenes (Sleepless killing Skybreakers in Edgedancers, and Sleepless almost killing Rysn in Dawnshard), but please no spiders :( 

Or something about Dawnshard (and Sleepless to), as it reminds me about SP4, SP4 spoilers:

Spoiler

Nomad did something in SA5 with a Dawnshard, which forced him to run. So it can be about early Nomad "adventures”, or something about the Dawnshard he used. However I doubt he would write about this, as this is a very fresh idea, not released yet, in a future important to us, readers, and also very important to the Cosmere, so Brandon would likely like to write around this.

Spoiler

Brandon Sanderson

[...]

For those who are wondering, this does take place moderately far into the Cosmere’s future. This is not a spoiler for Stormlight 5, in that I intend it to be read before Stormlight 5. But you will find out in Stormlight 5 what caused this whole thing to happen. If it’s a spoiler, it’s not for much in the future of Stormlight. The division point will happen pretty soon here. And this is Sigzil’s story, here called Nomad. He will come out of this book with a different name. And he has a role to play in the future of the Cosmere.

[...]

Secret Project #4 Reveal and Livestream (March 24, 2022)

 

Something about Roshar? Possibly, maybe the arrival of Sleepless, or the scorching of Aimia? Or the Lopen novel that we should get between WoK and WoR? However, because of SoS I doubt it is a known corner of Cosmere to us, so nothing to be found.

I think you are spot on about Sleepless spiders. It's an unexplored corner of Cosmere, fitting Dan's writings, and away from the main story to make a good entry point for Dan's Cosmere novels. But why it has to be spiders?? 

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On 3/7/2023 at 2:35 PM, Pagerunner said:

On the other hand... a year and a half. Why that date?

That would fall in line with the possibility that his release could be an add-on or stretch goal to the WoR Leatherbound, if that kickstarter follows the WoK formula that had Dawnshard added to the kickstarter. 

On 3/7/2023 at 2:35 PM, Pagerunner said:

Dawnshard, which is a small book that fits between Stormlight 4 and Stormlight 5

Shouldn't this be "between SA 3 and 4?" Was that a transposition error, or a typo in his newsletter?

Edited by Treamayne
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He says you will find out in a year and a half, so approx. stormlight 5's release. Could he be writing some interludes? In his most recent update, Brandon mentioned he would be writing the interludes after everything else if they hadn't been written when he gets to that point.

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On 3/8/2023 at 10:47 AM, Fezzik said:

He says you will find out in a year and a half, so approx. stormlight 5's release. Could he be writing some interludes? In his most recent update, Brandon mentioned he would be writing the interludes after everything else if they hadn't been written when he gets to that point.

You know, I can see that. I'm half expecting Dan's name to be on SA5 for other reasons, so having some actual writing in the book would make that seem a little less weird, and an interlude would be the place to put it. (Kind of like how Isaac writes the broadsheets, but a little meatier than that.)

Now, would it tie in with his new series? All the same points about the Sleepless would still fit for an interlude, but that would leave the new series to be completely open, no ties to Dawnshard necessarily. So maybe we're back to square 1.

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