How does nightblood fit into the Cosmere timeline?

[Renarin Kholin]

My understanding of nightblood's appearance in Oathbringer was that it took place after Warbreaker. I know that Vasher and Nightblood were around for a long time before Warbreaker took place, but Nightblood also mentions Vivenna to Szeth, and he would not have known Vivenna before the events of Warbreaker. But in the State of the Sanderson 2019, the Cosmere sequence places Warbreaker after Stormlight books 1-5.

Quote

• Elantris 1
• Elantris 2
• Elantris 3
• Mistborn Era 1: Book One
• Mistborn Era 1: Book Two
• Mistborn Era 1: Book Three
• Stormlight One
• Stormlight Two
• Stormlight Three
• Stormlight Four
• Stormlight Five
• Mistborn Era 2: Book One
• Mistborn Era 2: Book Two
• Mistborn Era 2: Book Three
• Mistborn Era 2: Book Four
• Warbreaker 1
• Warbreaker 2
• Mistborn Era 3: Book One
• Mistborn Era 3: Book Two
• Mistborn Era 3: Book Three
• Stormlight Six
• Stormlight Seven
• Stormlight Eight
• Stormlight Nine
• Stormlight Ten
• Dragonsteel Book One
• Dragonsteel Book Two
• Dragonsteel Book Three
• Untitled Threnody Novel
• Untitled Aether Book One
• Untitled Aether Book Two
• Untitled Aether Book Three
• Mistborn Era 4: Book One
• Mistborn Era 4: Book Two
• Mistborn Era 4: Book Three

Is the Cosmere sequence meant to be more of the general order in which he plans to write the books, or is it an actual timeline of when the books take place chronologically? And if it is supposed to be a timeline, why is Warbreaker after Oathbringer?

[Weltall]

That's not a chronological listing of the works, as can immediately be seen by the fact that Dragonsteel is listed late even though it's the chronologically earliest work. Another clue would be that Brandon has MB Eras 2 and 3 listed between the two halves of Stormlight Archive even though we know the gap between Mistborn eras is going to be measurable in generations while the gap between the two parts of Stormlight will be maybe a decade. Obviously that's not intended to be chronological.

Nigthblood takes place before The Way of Kings and currently there aren't any stories planned to be set between those two. Exactly how many years pass between the one and the other we can't say.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Weltall

[Karger]

All of Warbreaker is before SA.

[Renarin Kholin]

Ok, so if that is not a timeline, do we have a timeline at all for the Cosmere?

[Dunkum]

45 minutes ago, Renarin Kholin said:

Ok, so if that is not a timeline, do we have a timeline at all for the Cosmere?

there is a pretty good one on the coppermind which puts it as:

Quote

A rough chronological ordering of current cosmere works is:

• White Sand
• Elantris and The Hope of Elantris
• The Emperor's Soul
• Mistborn Era 1
• Warbreaker
• Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell
• The Stormlight Archive (books 1 through 5)
• Mistborn Era 2
• The Stormlight Archive (books 6 through 10)
• Arcanum Unbounded essays
• Sixth of the Dusk, which is in the age of Era 4 Mistborn books, the science fiction trilogy

of all that, we know there is a 300 year gap between mistbonr era 1 and mistborn era 2, and, as mentioned something like a 10 year gap between stormlight books 1-5 and 6-10, but I dont think we have a good estimate of the time between any of the other pieces.

[Elegy]

15 hours ago, Dunkum said:

there is a pretty good one on the coppermind which puts it as:

of all that, we know there is a 300 year gap between mistbonr era 1 and mistborn era 2, and, as mentioned something like a 10 year gap between stormlight books 1-5 and 6-10, but I dont think we have a good estimate of the time between any of the other pieces.

Yep, but also mind that the exact time of the essays is not defined. It's after Mistborn Era 1 and before Sixth of the Dusk, but that's all the source on the Coppermind tells us.

(For the sake of completeness, Dragonsteel would be the very first, Mistborn Era 4 would be the very last, Era 3 would be after SA 10 but before Sixth of the Dusk. Silence Divine, the Ashyn novella, would occur some time parallel to SA's back 5.)

[Dunkum]

2 hours ago, Elegy said:

Yep, but also mind that the exact time of the essays is not defined. It's after Mistborn Era 1 and before Sixth of the Dusk, but that's all the source on the Coppermind tells us.

(For the sake of completeness, Dragonsteel would be the very first, Mistborn Era 4 would be the very last, Era 3 would be after SA 10 but before Sixth of the Dusk. Silence Divine, the Ashyn novella, would occur some time parallel to SA's back 5.)

do we know that about Silence Divine?  im a bit out of the loop on most of the unpiblished stuff, but I knew dragonsteel and MB4 placements.  hadn't heard much of anythign on Silence Divine.

[Elegy]

Just now, Dunkum said:

do we know that about Silence Divine?  im a bit out of the loop on most of the unpiblished stuff, but I knew dragonsteel and MB4 placements.  hadn't heard much of anythign on Silence Divine.

It' what he plans, but it can be subject to change until he actually finishes it:

Quote

Questioner

Silence Divine, are you allowed to talk about when it's going to happen in the timeline?

Brandon Sanderson

...It is late Stormlight Archive era. I image it being around book 8 or something like that.

Questioner

So it was after the Dawnchant was written.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. But since it hasn't been written yet, the timeline is not canon for that yet.

Skyward Seattle signing (Nov. 10, 2018)

 

[+Harrycrapper]

Has Brandon confirmed that Mistborn Era 4 is the final set of books in the Cosmere? I had always imagined there would be a final book/series that brings everything together for some sort of conclusion made up of relatively equal parts of every series kinda like an Avengers movie. Either that or a book from Hoid's POV involving characters from the various locales of the various series.

[Landis963]

1 minute ago, Harrycrapper said:

Has Brandon confirmed that Mistborn Era 4 is the final set of books in the Cosmere? I had always imagined there would be a final book/series that brings everything together for some sort of conclusion made up of relatively equal parts of every series kinda like an Avengers movie. Either that or a book from Hoid's POV involving characters from the various locales of the various series.

Space Age era Mistborn has the greatest likelihood of fulfilling that, especially since the main cast (last I heard, anyway) is set to include Hoid.  

[Elegy]

58 minutes ago, Harrycrapper said:

Has Brandon confirmed that Mistborn Era 4 is the final set of books in the Cosmere? I had always imagined there would be a final book/series that brings everything together for some sort of conclusion made up of relatively equal parts of every series kinda like an Avengers movie. Either that or a book from Hoid's POV involving characters from the various locales of the various series.

That's Era 4. It will be a space opera and will involve interplanetary travel and interaction between the Shardworlds. Hoid will be a main character:

Quote

The Chaos Geek

Is there a plan for a book focusing on Hoid or will he always remain an enigma?

Brandon Sanderson

The final Mistborn sequence will have him as a main character, as will the Dragonsteel prequel novels.

#SandersonChat Twitter Q&A with Audible.com (Feb. 4, 2016)

That said, it won't really be comparable to Avengers stuff:

Quote

Questioner

Can we expect a Cosmere Avengers?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes and no. You can expect crossovers between the planets. My goal is not an Avengers-style, one character that you... like, if it were a true Cosmere Avengers it would be like, "Oh, we're going to have this character from this series, this character from this series," that's not what I'm going for. I'm going for more of a clash between the cultures and worlds. There will definitely be characters that you know that end up involved in that. But it's not, I'm not shooting for an Avengers-style thing, I'm shooting for more... It's more like imagine Star Trek, and retrograde back to all of the stories you're telling on the separate planets before they meet each other. Less Avengers, more "We're going to have an intergalactic... thing, going on." These are all of the origins of the cultures and peoples that are going to be involved in that. And since there are some immortals around, you will see people.

Barnes & Noble B-Fest 2016 (June 11, 2016)

 

[Weltall]

5 hours ago, Harrycrapper said:

Has Brandon confirmed that Mistborn Era 4 is the final set of books in the Cosmere? I had always imagined there would be a final book/series that brings everything together for some sort of conclusion

Mistborn Era 4 is going to be that conclusion. In addition to what's already been provided, here's another WoB where he's quite explicit about it:

Quote

Questioner

Is it still the plan to write Dragonsteel last?

Brandon Sanderson

Next-to-last. Mistborn final Era will be... yeah, Mistborn 4 will be last.

Idaho Falls signing (July 21, 2018)

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by Weltall

[+Harrycrapper]

Ah I forgot Hoid is supposed to be a main character of Era 4, that makes sense now.