Pagerunner he/him Posted February 18, 2020 Posted February 18, 2020 Stormlight Four is quickly approaching; it might feel like it's nine months away (because, technically, it is), but before you know it, it'll be October and you'll be frantically trying to cram in a reread. Tor will be doing their big marketing push, and the forums will be exploding with new members. In advance of this surge of popularity for Stormlight, I was thinking we should make a resource to help new members begin the deep dive into the lore that many of us take for granted. Arcanum can be intimidating; there are almost 13,000 WoBs so far, but most of them aren't Stormlight, many are old news that's since been revealed in the books, and others just aren't important. Let's put our heads together and build a list of the ones that will be the most essential or the most important for those looking at WoBs for the first time. Here are my three criteria: Impactful. These should be WoBs that all Stormlight readers will care about. Niche WoBs about linguistics might be some of my favorites, but most people won't care, so let's not include those on the list. Relevant. Stormlight only; no spoilers for the greater Cosmere or for other series. (Well, except maybe Warbreaker, but let's cross that bridge if we come to it.) Substantial. No RAFOs! Or at least, nothing that's just a RAFO; if Brandon says RAFO but gives info anyways, that could be fair game. Yes, it means the list won't have anything about Unity, one of the biggest outstanding questions from book three, since that's been all RAFOs. Oh, well; let's make sure we're getting WoBs with actual information in them. Here are a few to start us off: Flashback Characters Quote PyroSkink Is each book in this series a focus on a particular character? Did I read that somewhere? Brandon Sanderson Each one has a flashback sequence dedicated to a certain character, and a plot that has something to do with the flashback sequence. I do this to help differentiate them, and we sometimes call it "their" book--but that's a little of a misnomer, as the main plot may not revolve around the flashback sequence. It will simply relate to it. PyroSkink Ah right. It was Kaladin then Shallan, next is Dalinar? Or is it Szeth? Brandon Sanderson This one is Dalinar most likely. Then (probably) Eshonai, then Szeth. Unless I swap those two. Back five are Lift, Renarin, Ash, Taln, Jasnah. Not necessarily in that order. (Though that is the planned order right now.) I do have to give my standard disclaimer. Someone getting a flashback sequence does not indicate they survive until that book. I'm fully willing to flashback to a character who died in an earlier volume. So that isn't as much of a spoiler as it seems. And Taln is defined as "The man who thinks of himself as the Herald Taln, and whose viewpoint we got briefly in Words of Radiance." Stormlight Three Update #4 (Sept. 9, 2016) The Hidden Ending Quote Adam S (paraphrased) The ending of Mistborn was hidden in the first chapter epigraphs. Is there something similar to that in The Way of Kings? Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased) There is, but they are hidden in different places. The last chapter of The Stormlight Archive is somewhere in these two books. Words of Radiance Houston signing (March 11, 2014) Cultivationlight Quote MiToRo94 Honor has Stormlight and Odium has Voidlight, is there a Cultivationlight? If so, can an Invested person use it as a third magic on Roshar or is a boon/curse the only magic of Cultivation/Nightwatcher? Brandon Sanderson There is more! I'll just say that, the rest is Read And Find Out. You are theorizing in an accurate direction. Read For Pixels 2018 (Sept. 1, 2018) Quote MiToRo94 When Dalinar first goes to meet the Nightwatcher and he sees Cultivation as well, presumably. Brandon Sanderson He does. MiToRo94 They are surrounded by a green mist. So is that mist comparable to Preservation's mist on Scadrial? Would that be like "Cultivationlight?" Brandon Sanderson Yes, that is in the same sort of vein. Footnote: Related to the original question about Culitvationlight by MiToRo94Idaho Falls signing (Dec. 29, 2018) And with that, I turn it over to the rest of you. What WoBs do you think are the most impactful, relevant, and substantial for someone who's new to the deep end of Stormlight theories? 8
KandraAllomancer he/him Posted February 18, 2020 Posted February 18, 2020 (edited) Great idea, @Pagerunner! Taravangian's boon, just like Dalinar's, comes from Cultivation, not the Nightwatcher: Quote Kfirw Did Taravangian meet the Nightwatcher? Or Cultivation? Brandon Sanderson Cultivation. Good question. Tel Aviv Signing (Oct. 18, 2019) The same possibly applies to Lift: Quote Snoxcatko Why is Lift different in the way she processes Investiture? Brandon Sanderson She was created that way specifically, by ac- an "Act of Cultivation". Snoxcatko Okay, so she went to see Nightwatcher? Brandon Sanderson Yes. Prague Signing (Oct. 26, 2019) There has been a Dawnshard in Aimia: Quote Questioner (paraphrased) Is there a Dawnshard in Aimia? Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased) Yes. Well, there definitely has been a Dawnshard in Aimia in the past, that is why it has been protected so well, obviously. Maybe it is still there and maybe not, that is an open question for now. ICon 2019 (Oct. 16, 2019) Useful information on the Sibling: Quote Rebeca (paraphrased) Will we see the Sibling? Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased) Yes, you will see him before the end of book 5 Rebeca (paraphrased) Is he the same as he was last we saw him? Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased) The Sibling is in the same form as he was before. DragonCon 2019 (Sept. 2, 2019) Edited February 18, 2020 by KandraAllomancer 3
+ILuvHats he/him Posted February 18, 2020 Posted February 18, 2020 Quote Questioner Why so many characters from Warbreaker [in Stormlight]? Brandon Sanderson 'Cause Warbreaker is a prequel to Stormlight. I wrote Stormlight first, and then I actually went and wrote Warbreakerabout Kaladin's swordmaster, but then that version of Stormlight didn't get published, and this one did, but they're very interconnected to me. Oathbringer Houston signing (Nov. 18, 2017) Quote Questioner How many magic systems are in The Stormlight Archive, and how many of them haven't been seen? Brandon Sanderson I would say the only major one you haven’t seen is Voidbinding, it depends on how you count them. I count fabrials as one, Surgebinding as one, and Voidbinding as one. And then the Old Magic is kind of its own weird thing. Calamity Seattle signing (Feb. 17, 2016) 4
Elsecaller_17.5 he/him Posted February 18, 2020 Posted February 18, 2020 Quote Questioner In the second series of Stormlight Archive, are they going to be about the same characters? Brandon Sanderson That's an excellent question. So when I sat down to build The Stormlight Archive, there were a couple of things that I learned from The Wheel of Time. One was that the further an epic fantasy series goes, the more important it is that you have a structure to the series. It's very easy for the books to start blending into one another, and it's also very easy to let side characters take over books. This is very natural for us as writers, particularly in a big epic fantasy, and I felt that when I approached The Stormlight Archive there are a couple of things I did. One is that I said "All right, I'm going to confine all my side characters to these things called interludes, where I can just go crazy and do whatever I want, but they have to be like, isolated in their own containment unit called the interludes to prevent me from turning from the books just going in all directions at once." The other thing I said is, "Each book is going to be about an order of Knights Radiant, and it's going to have a flashback sequence directly tied to that order." So that when you say "All right, which book is book three," you're like, "Oh, that's Dalinar's book, that's the Bondsmith book." All of the characters are in all of the books, but each book has kind of its own soul and theme that helps me as a writer structure where I'm going to release information, and what it's going to be about. And so when I set down this, I said said "I'm going to pick 10 characters, 10 orders (and they are not always going to be exactly what you expect), but I'm going to build each book to have a theme based around those things." The first five were Dalinar, Kaladin, Shallan, Eshonai and Szeth. So those are the five books you are going to get in the first arc. And the second arc is Lift, Renarin, Ash, Taln and Jasnah, right. Now, all the characters from the first five will be in all those books, and some of them will still be main characters. You can expect it, like it is one series. All the ones that survive *crowd groans* no spoilers. But you can expect in the back five, people that you are expecting that are main characters now will still be main characters, and you will have a lot of space dedicated to them still, but the flashback sequences, and the themes of the book, will focus on those five. And so it hopefully will help it all have a structure and a feeling. Between book 5 and book 6, in-world, there will be a time jump of about 10 years, so just be expecting that. But I can't say anything more without getting into spoilers, so I won't. But that's what you can expect. The Great American Read: Other Worlds with Brandon Sanderson (Oct. 25, 2018) 4
+Child of Hodor Posted February 20, 2020 Posted February 20, 2020 (edited) The order of Shard arrival on Roshar and the relationship to humans arriving. Quote Hoidonalsium What was the order of the Shards coming to Roshar and changing allegiances? Did humans come with Odium? Brandon Sanderson So... you're talking about on Roshar specifically? So, Odium had visited Roshar. The humans gave him more of an ear... The Dawnsingers would have considered him the god of the people who had come, but-- I mean, it wasn't like they necessarily brought him. He was capable of getting around before that. I mean, he did kinda come along with them, he was instrumental in what happened there. Hoidonalsium Okay, but he was separate, and after Honor and Cultivation had really settled there? Brandon Sanderson Yes, he was after Honor and Cultivation had settled. Oathbringer Glasgow signing (Dec. 2, 2017) Odium is stuck on Braize Quote Questioner So, I was actually wondering whether Tanavast constructed the confrontation with Rayse in such a way that *inaudible* Brandon Sanderson That nailed his foot to the floor? Questioner He's stuck on Braize - at least for now. Brandon Sanderson Ah, yes. That was, in effect, that was an intentional - Questioner It was deliberate? Okay. Brandon Sanderson It was deliberate. Yup. Questioner *Inaudible, possibly 'Rayse'* started to win? Brandon Sanderson Um, well... Questioner I'll keep it secret until it shows up on Facebook. Brandon Sanderson Yeah, it... so, Odium came at him, and he gave - not as good as he got - but he made it cost. Questioner Did he sacrifice himself, or is Odium better at that sort of thing? Brandon Sanderson I wouldn't say that he sacrificed himself, I'd say he went out swinging. Questioner Is Odium just better at that sort of thing? Brandon Sanderson I would say, yes. Oathbringer San Diego signing (Nov. 14, 2017) Odium's binding is separate from the Oathpact. Quote Questioner So Odium is trapped on a planet near Roshar. Now that Talenelat is no longer being bound wherever he's at, does that mean that Odium's imminence is-- Brandon Sanderson Taln still is keeping to the Oathpact. So there is that. But [Odium's] being bound is greater than the Oathpact. Shadows of Self Lansing signing (Oct. 13, 2015) Edited February 20, 2020 by Child of Hodor Grammar 2
SimonTheKillerEwok Posted February 21, 2020 Posted February 21, 2020 The most important WOB a man can read? It's the next one. Always the next one. 6
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