Khriss confirmed as Ars Arcana author

[Oversleep]

So, I know nobody is going to be shocked by the revelation that Khriss writes Ars Arcana. But it seems we finally have official confirmation from Peter (I found it in coppermind):

Quote

The book is not just reprinting stuff you've already read. Aside from the new Lift novella (at 40,000 words it's actually a mini-novel), each story has a new full-page illustration and a postscript by Brandon. Each world section of the book has a planetary system map and an essay about the system written by Khriss, who writes the Ars Arcanum section at the end of the books.
link

Do we have any more confirmations, maybe from Brandon in a WoB or something?

[Asperity he/him]

Just now, Oversleep said:

Do we have any more confirmations, maybe from Brandon in a WoB or something?

I'm about 99.9% certain (only because I don't have the WoB on-hand then again I have none on-hand) but Khriss being the author is relatively old news.

[Argent he/him]

22 hours ago, Kythis said:

I'm about 99.9% certain (only because I don't have the WoB on-hand then again I have none on-hand) but Khriss being the author is relatively old news.

I think it's been kind of unofficial until now. Nobody really doubted it, but I don't think it was confirmed. 

[Yata he/him]

2 minutes ago, Argent said:

I think it's been kind of unofficial until now. Nobody really doubted it, but I don't think it was confirmed. 

I think we have direct Sanderson's quote about her as Author but none wrote actual on any book

Edited June 27, 2016 by Yata

[Pagerunner he/him]

We've known since January 2015 that it's a Seventeenth Shard member from an unpublished novel, which made Khriss the only obvious choice (especially after seeing her in Bands of Mourning). But, it is nice to finally get the official confirmation.

Now that I think of it, do we know who wrote the blurb on the back of Way of Kings? Was that also Khriss?

[Eki]

2 hours ago, Pagerunner said:

We've known since January 2015 that it's a Seventeenth Shard member from an unpublished novel, which made Khriss the only obvious choice (especially after seeing her in Bands of Mourning). But, it is nice to finally get the official confirmation.

Wait... I thought Khriss wasn't an actual member of the 17th Shard? That she was more of a... freelancer, so to speak. Maybe that's a more recent development of her character...

Not sure what you mean by the blurb at the end of Way of Kings... If you mean the Ars Arcanum, then yes. But if you mean the Endnote, that one is already signed by a native scholar.

Unless you mean the actual text on the back of the book, in which case I'd say it isn't really an in-universe text, unlike the others.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Eki

[Pagerunner he/him]

18 minutes ago, Eki said:

Unless you mean the actual text on the back of the book, in which case I'd say it isn't really an in-universe text, unlike the others.

The back covers of the Stormlight books are in-universe. When I was tracking down the quote that said so, I found the answer to my own question - Stormlight back covers are not written by Ars Arcanum author (Khriss), or by Hoid. They're by an in-universe group of people on Roshar.

As for Khriss's motives and alignment with the Shard, Brandon's referred to the author as a Seventeenth Sharder way back in 2011, so it can't be that recent a development of her character. But here's the most recent quote on the subject, which makes it seem like she's a part of the Shard, but won't limit herself to only working with fellow Sharders:

Quote

Q: In Secret History, is Khriss working with the 17th Shard at that time?

A: Khriss works with anybody who is interested in the information that she has. She is a...no, not a freelancer, really, she is a...She’d get along with Edward Snowden, right? She is for the good of the Cosmere in her opinion, she is providing this information. She thinks it’ll be useful for everyone. So if the 17th Shard comes to her and says “We want to know this” and she knows it, she will tell them. If Hoid comes to her and says “I want to know this”, she would tell him. So Khriss will work with anyone who she thinks their motives are...are for the good of the Cosmere in general.

 

Q: Not strictly a mercenary…?

A: No, not a mercenary, she’s kind of a freedom of information type person.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Pagerunner

[Eki]

13 minutes ago, Pagerunner said:

The back covers of the Stormlight books are in-universe. When I was tracking down the quote that said so, I found the answer to my own question - Stormlight back covers are not written by Ars Arcanum author (Khriss), or by Hoid. They're by an in-universe group of people on Roshar.

As for Khriss's motives and alignment with the Shard, Brandon's referred to the author as a Seventeenth Sharder way back in 2011, so it can't be that recent a development of her character. But here's the most recent quote on the subject, which makes it seem like she's a part of the Shard, but won't limit herself to only working with fellow Sharders:

I have a feeling I don't have the same text on the back of my book (paperback), because it looks pretty summary-ish to me...

That quote about Khriss was the one that led me to believe she WASN'T a 17th Sharder (though i managed to use the exact wrong word) - that the Shard asks her about things and she provides answers, but that she isn't really working for them, even if her work often benefits them.

[Argel he/him]

22 hours ago, Eki said:

That quote about Khriss was the one that led me to believe she WASN'T a 17th Sharder (though i managed to use the exact wrong word) - that the Shard asks her about things and she provides answers, but that she isn't really working for them, even if her work often benefits them.

Maybe they consider her an honorary member. Given how dangerous the Cosmere can be, they may work together from time to time as well. The 17th Shard seems like the safestst and likely best organization for someone like Khriss to associate with given everything we know so far (note: I have not read White Sands). So, maybe the 17th Shard sees her as their independent research division.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Argel

[Pagerunner he/him]

Is the text on your paperback the same as this version?

[Eki]

20 hours ago, Pagerunner said:

Is the text on your paperback the same as this version?

Yeah. It basically sums up the world (from the perspective of an outsider), and the starting points for Kaladin, Dalinar and Shallan.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Here is the text of the back covers, for reference:

The Way of Kings:

Quote

I long for the days before the Last Desolation.

The age before the Heralds abandoned us and the Knights Radiant turned against us. A time when there was still magic in the world and honor in the hearts of men.

The world became ours, and we lost it. Nothing, it appears, is more challenging to the souls of men than victory itself.

Or was that victory an illusion all along? Did our enemies realize that the harder they fought, the stronger we resisted? Perhaps they saw that the heat and the hammer only make for a better grade of sword. But ignore the steel long enough, and it will eventually rust away.

There are four whom we watch. The first is the surgeon, forced to put aside healing to become a soldier in the most brutal war of our time. The second is the assassin, a murderer who weeps as he kills. The third is the liar, a young woman who wears a scholar's mantle over the heart of a thief. The last is the highprince, a warlord whose eyes have opened to the past as his thirst for battle wanes.

The world can change. Surgebinding and Shardwielding can return; the magics of ancient days can become ours again. These four people are key.

One of them may redeem us.

And one of them will destroy us.

Words of Radiance:

Quote

The Knights Radiant must stand again.

The ancient oaths have at last been spoken; the spren return. Men seek that which was lost. I fear the struggle will destroy them.

It is the nature of the magic. A broken soul has cracks into which something else can be fit. Surgebindings, the powers of creation themselves. They can brace a broken soul; but they can also widen its fissures.

The Windrunner, lost in a shattered land, balanced upon the boundary between vengeance and honor. The Lightweaver, slowly being consumed by her past, searching for the lie that she must become. The Bondsmith, born in blood and death, striving to rebuild what was destroyed. The Explorer, straddling the fates of two peoples, forced to choose between slow death and a terrible betrayal of all she believes.

It is past time for them to awaken, for the Everstorm looms.

And the Assassin has arrived.

 

[Eki]

26 minutes ago, WeiryWriter said:

Here is the text of the back covers, for reference:

The Way of Kings:

Words of Radiance:

 

Ah, okay! Not what I have on my books. I do feel like I've read parts of those texts somewhere though.

I can definitely see why it would be interesting to know who wrote them.

[Argent he/him]

Huh, I don't think I have ever seen the one from The Way of Kings. It definitely sounds like something written by somebody who has been around since before the Aharietiam, and somebody who is native to Roshar as well. Not a whole lot of those, I think. 

[Jazzy Kandra she/her]

For whatever reason, I always took the one from tWoK to be something written or produced by the Highspren or spren in general. That...just seems like an opinion that ancient spren who can remember those things might very well say, but that's neither here or there.

Considering the Khriss is depicted on the cover of Arcanum Unbounded and has written essays on each of the Shardworlds, I think it's not just 99.9% anymore.

[Argent he/him]

Doesn't sound like Khriss though. She is not native to Roshar, and this thing has a very in-world feel.

[Pagerunner he/him]

1 hour ago, Kandra-in-disguise said:

For whatever reason, I always took the one from tWoK to be something written or produced by the Highspren or spren in general. That...just seems like an opinion that ancient spren who can remember those things might very well say, but that's neither here or there.

Considering the Khriss is depicted on the cover of Arcanum Unbounded and has written essays on each of the Shardworlds, I think it's not just 99.9% anymore.

28 minutes ago, Argent said:

Doesn't sound like Khriss though. She is not native to Roshar, and this thing has a very in-world feel.

As I linked to above, we have confirmation that Ars Arcanum author (Khriss) did not write the back-of-book blurbs.

Whoever writes them refers to the Heralds and KR as abandoning "us." I don't think the Heralds abandoned the Spren; they abandoned the people of Roshar. That makes me think it's one of the secret societies. Whoever wrote it doesn't necessarily have to have lived back then; they might just have knowledge of those days. Same with the 'souls of men' line; the author is referring to mankind, rather than himself personally, as having been abandoned/turned against/world-became-theirs.

Taravingian is out; he wasn't watching Kaladin until after he started exhibiting his Windrunner powers. I don't think it can be the Ghostbloods, either, since they weren't aware of Shallan's powers. Same with the Sons of Honor, since Amaram was surprised by Kaladin. Don't think it can be the New Skybreakers, since their Herald did not abandon them, and he's trying to stop Surgebinding from returning. I don't think it's Worldhoppers/Seventeenth Shard/Frost, either, since the Heralds didn't abandon them. I think that runs the gamut of known secret groups, and doesn't get us anywhere.

Hasn't Brandon given some sly RAFOs about Nohadon? About him maybe still being around?

[CaptainRyan he/him]

1 hour ago, Kandra-in-disguise said:

For whatever reason, I always took the one from tWoK to be something written or produced by the Highspren or spren in general. That...just seems like an opinion that ancient spren who can remember those things might very well say, but that's neither here or there.

I second this. I would place my bet on the spren. As to @Pagerunner's objection that the Heralds abandonded the people of Roshar and not the spren - well, I think the Heralds abandonment of the Oathpact can also be seen as a betrayal of the spren. If Odium wins then the spren are going to be in trouble as well. Also, we do not yet know the cause of the Recreance and it is possible the Heralds were somehow involved.

[Oversleep]

There was a fairly developed thread discussing SA blurbs. So for now, unless somebody has some other WoB, I'll take Peter's tweet as official confirmation of Khriss being the author of Ars Arcana.

[feldi]

On 6/29/2016 at 9:16 PM, Pagerunner said:

Taravingian is out; he wasn't watching Kaladin until after he started exhibiting his Windrunner powers. I don't think it can be the Ghostbloods, either, since they weren't aware of Shallan's powers. Same with the Sons of Honor, since Amaram was surprised by Kaladin. Don't think it can be the New Skybreakers, since their Herald did not abandon them, and he's trying to stop Surgebinding from returning. I don't think it's Worldhoppers/Seventeenth Shard/Frost, either, since the Heralds didn't abandon them. I think that runs the gamut of known secret groups, and doesn't get us anywhere.

Hasn't Brandon given some sly RAFOs about Nohadon? About him maybe still being around?

maybe it's Zahel? the ardent that teach Kaladin how to fight a shardbalde? there is in one of the interludes of WoR that is from Zahel perspective that hints he had a spern once, and we don't know much about him but he defently know Dalinar and Kaladin, and we don't know how many people aside from Hoid know about Shallan, so maybe it's him, he's mysterious enough to be the writer

[Argent he/him]

1 hour ago, feldi said:

maybe it's Zahel? the ardent that teach Kaladin how to fight a shardbalde? there is in one of the interludes of WoR that is from Zahel perspective that hints he had a spern once, and we don't know much about him but he defently know Dalinar and Kaladin, and we don't know how many people aside from Hoid know about Shallan, so maybe it's him, he's mysterious enough to be the writer

Oooh, you don't know who Zahel is, this is awesome! He is from a different book, go reread his chapters, see if you can figure him out

[Sam Script he/him]

13 hours ago, feldi said:

maybe it's Zahel? the ardent that teach Kaladin how to fight a shardbalde? there is in one of the interludes of WoR that is from Zahel perspective that hints he had a spern once, and we don't know much about him but he defently know Dalinar and Kaladin, and we don't know how many people aside from Hoid know about Shallan, so maybe it's him, he's mysterious enough to be the writer

Spoiler

Zahel in Roshar = Vasher in Nalthis

He came to Roshar for "Investiture easier to obtain" and maybe Nightblood, as Nightblood is in Roshar as well, seized by Szeth now.

Curiosity kills a cat. Be sure you wanna spoil yourself lol

[feldi]

On 7/8/2016 at 4:42 AM, Sam Script said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Zahel in Roshar = Vasher in Nalthis

He came to Roshar for "Investiture easier to obtain" and maybe Nightblood, as Nightblood is in Roshar as well, seized by Szeth now.

Curiosity kills a cat. Be sure you wanna spoil yourself lol

REALLY????? I totally missed that!!!! need to give more attention to description of side characters

[Ari he/him]

You have to pay a fair amount of attention to the idioms he uses to pick up on it.