UA: Nalthis ignored?

[CaptainRyan he/him]

Tor.com just released the Table of Contents, along with some other minor info, about this month's release: Arcanum Unbounded. Someone commented that there was no mention of Nalthis. I was wondering, is that merely because there is no novella set in the Nalthis system or does it mean Khriss, who is doing introductions for each of the other systems we know of in the Cosmere, has never been there? Does anyone remember any mention of Khriss having been to Nalthis?

Source: http://www.tor.com/2016/10/31/find-out-whats-inside-brandon-sandersons-new-cosmere-book-arcanum-unbounded/

[Pagerunner he/him]

We've been discussing this over here. I don't think anyone has raised your specific question about the lack of a Nalthis essay, so the mods might allow this topic to live.

It's got an unsplintered Shard, so I can't imagine she just doesn't know about it. I don't recall seeing Khriss (or Nazh) in Wabreaker, but that might just be because the pre-WoK books don't have as visible worldhoppers as we've seen since then.

I'm sure that the essays in Arcanum Unbounded are not all her information. She must have some info on Yolen, even if she hasn't found the world. Last info we got (which was a while ago, so take it as you will) was that there were 10 major Shardworlds and even more minor ones. So, there are a lot of minor worlds that have been excluded; we may see more of them frustratingly name-dropped in the back of the book.

I don't have the specific numbers on me, but Khriss has been alive for at least hundreds of years, and she is one of the most knowledgeable people in the cosmere. I'm not sure when the in-universe date for these essays is (we know it's well before Sixth of the Dusk, so I think it's roughly concurrent with Stormlight, our latest series so far), but she's definitely had enough time to find her way around the galaxy.

[CaptainRyan he/him]

Update: Peter responded to my question about Nalthis (at least, sort of) on Brandon's Facebook annoucement.

My question: "I noticed in the Table of Contents there was nothing listed for Nalthis. Will there not be an intro into that system by Khriss? Has she, perhaps, never visited there?"

Peter: "There is a teeny tiny minuscule amount of information on Nalthis, but no essay."

[Green Hoodie Mistborn he/him]

As Khriss is the Ars Arcanum author, doesn't that mean by default she's been to Nalthis?

[CaptainRyan he/him]

6 minutes ago, Green Hoodie Mistborn said:

As Khriss is the Ars Arcanum author, doesn't that mean by default she's been to Nalthis?

Excellent point! I do believe that would be correct!

[Eki]

18 minutes ago, Green Hoodie Mistborn said:

As Khriss is the Ars Arcanum author, doesn't that mean by default she's been to Nalthis?

She could base her research on second-hand accounts, but she'd probably only do that if the planet was inaccessible, which it doesn't seem like it is.

[Chaos he/him]

I think the answer as to why there is no Nalthis essay is more mundane: Brandon didn't have time in his schedule to fit in a Nalthis short story. He mentioned there was a slight possibility it could be a thing on Reddit a while back but obviously, Brandon is right that Oathbringer is the top priority.

Hence, it would be strange to have an essay but not have anything to follow it content wise.

This makes me sad but I don't think it has anything to do with Khriss. She's been to Nalthis and wrote that Ars Arcanum. It purely has to do with Brandon's time.

[CaptainRyan he/him]

1 minute ago, Chaos said:

I think the answer as to why there is no Nalthis essay is more mundane: Brandon didn't have time in his schedule to fit in a Nalthis short story. He mentioned there was a slight possibility it could be a thing on Reddit a while back but obviously, Brandon is right that Oathbringer is the top priority.

Hence, it would be strange to have an essay but not have anything to follow it content wise.

This makes me sad but I don't think it has anything to do with Khriss. She's been to Nalthis and wrote that Ars Arcanum. It purely has to do with Brandon's time.

That seems like the most logical answer for sure. I am a bit bummed about it but, well, in Brandon we trust eh?

[Green Hoodie Mistborn he/him]

Plus keep in mind... There needs to be something left for Arcanum Unbound 2: Arcanum Rebounded! 

[asterion137 he/him]

5 hours ago, Green Hoodie Mistborn said:

Plus keep in mind... There needs to be something left for Arcanum Unbound 2: Arcanum Rebounded! 

 

[VirtuousTraveller]

Not to hype the unrealistic, but the image of the Table of Contents ends oddly at the bottom - no "index" or "glossary" or anything.

Theory: There's a page two and it holds a secret none of us are expecting!

[thegatorgirl00 she/her]

On November 1, 2016 at 4:30 PM, Green Hoodie Mistborn said:

Plus keep in mind... There needs to be something left for Arcanum Unbound 2: Arcanum Rebounded! 

The essay on Naalthis can be right before the essay on Vax. 

[Pagerunner he/him]

6 minutes ago, thegatorgirl00 said:

The essay on Naalthis can be right before the essay on Vax. 

I'm like this close to downvoting you for that.

[Green Hoodie Mistborn he/him]

2 hours ago, VirtuousTraveller said:

Not to hype the unrealistic, but the image of the Table of Contents ends oddly at the bottom - no "index" or "glossary" or anything.

Theory: There's a page two and it holds a secret none of us are expecting!

I had a similar thought when I saw the ToC, that it seemed incomplete. Maybe not, but it'd be cool to have something bonus in there we don't know about yet among the existing cool stuff.