Columns and Features

    So, you've read some of Brandon Sanderson's books, and you liked them enough that you want to talk about it with other fans online.... But it doesn't take you long to realize that you have no idea what everyone's talking about. Shards of Adonalsium? Realmatic theory? Worldhoppers? "I don't remember any of this in the books I read!"

    Fear not! This article is for you!

    We are now teaming up with the Spanish fan site, cosmere.es, to translate articles from their site to English, and they can translate 17th Shard articles to Spanish! Cosmere.es does phenomenal work and we are so excited to share them with you. They have been killing it with interviews. Here's one of their recent ones! Thank you Ysondra and cosmere.es! You can read the original Spanish article here!

    Today we have the immense pleasure of chatting with one of the illustrators who participated in this project and is delighting fans worldwide: Soph Peralta. Just so you all get an idea of the huge success this game had in its first few days, the preorder campaign for the deluxe edition (that includes the booklet The Worldhopper’s Guide to Roshar, combining the history of Roshar and the amazing illustrations) sold out in 36 hours the units they thought would last several weeks. This success is without a doubt due to the care that artists like Soph Peralta have shown as they’ve brought the characters we love to life. 

    I wanted to make a statement on the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others because of undue force by the police. First and foremost I, and the staff of 17th Shard, stand behind Black Lives Matter, and we as a community do not stand for discrimination of any kind: by race, sex, gender identity, and many others not enumerated here. Check out our Code of Conduct on our expectations, and how to report issues.

    I am disturbed by these deaths, as I imagine you are as well, and want things to change. But, talk is cheap, you know? I'm white. There's a lot of white people on this site and in the fandom. So that made me think, what can I do to deal with systemic racism? What can we all, together, do to combat this? If you'll excuse me, I'd like to opine about that.

    Gasp! Coppermind Objectives?! Your eyes do not deceive you! After a 6 month hiatus we're back! The Coppermind is more up-to-date than ever, but there's always more work to be done--especially as we prepare for Rhythm of War's release in 6 months' time. There's many ways that you can help, so we hope you'll join in!

    As always, we're happy for any help we can get, so don't be shy. If you're new to editing the Coppermind, don't worry; we'll help you out with guides and plenty of assistance. You don't need experience or expertise, just the will to help out!

    A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away, it was pointed out on Shardcast that I am rather bothered by the mechanics of blood Soulcasting. Or more specifically, how it is used to save Shallan’s life during The Way of Kings. I have a background in molecular biology and have spent several years working with blood products, so to have some fun, I decided to put my nerd cap on and combine two of my passions.

    Happy Koloss Head-Munching Day!

    Yep, it's that time of year again folks. (Or will be, in a few hours, when the 19th rolls around.) The Christmas trees are decorated, the menorahs are polished, the koloss are looking for some heads to munch... And with birthday cake in one hand, Brandon Sanderson is using the other to type out his annual State of the Sanderson address!

    Stay tuned for more on that... Oh, and sorry of this post title got your heart thumping. ^_^ No, nobody knows exactly when it will be posted. But you can bet, when it does, it will be all the buzz in every corner of the fandom. In the meantime, I've got something for you to do before resuming your furious CTRL+F5 mashing...

    STATE OF THE SANDERSON 2019 BINGO!

    Hope you enjoyed your Fall break, because we're back with a new set of Coppermind objectives for November!

    First we need to say a big thank you to everyone who helped out with the last round of objectives. The Coppermind has NEVER been in such a good state! We've got less than 5% of articles as stubs and over 2/3 of our articles are marked as complete! So thanks again to everyone for getting us here.

    With the release of White Sand Volume 3 and Starsight on the horizon, there will be plenty to do in the coming months, so we hope you'll join in!

    Time for another round of Coppermind objectives!

    First we need to say a big thank you to everyone who helped out in June and July. I'm pleased to announce that we've officially crossed the 1 year anniversary for these objectives! We started these in July of last year. The amount of help we have received and the number of new people contributing to the wiki has been so encouraging, so I can't say enough how thankful we are for everyone who has participated so far!

    We've got some exciting news about the state of the wiki as well... We're only 22 articles away from being 2/3 complete! This is a HUGE milestone that we're excited to hit in the very near future! We'd love to have your help getting there!

     

    Time for another round of Coppermind objectives!

    First we need to say a big thank you to everyone who helped out in April and May. We got a lot done, with help from long-time users and new editors alike. I wanted to give a special shoutout to Stargazer in particular, who showed up in mid-April and ended up in the top of the pack on both objective completions and total contributions! Lots of good work all around, so thank you to everyone who helped. In other news, we've officially reached the lowest stub count in the history of the wiki! This is a huge milestone for us, and we're ecstatic! Thanks for the hard work, folks. Let's keep it up! One more round to go and we'll be hitting our one year anniversary for these objectives!

    It's that time again! Objective time!

    First we need to say a bit thank you to everyone who helped out in February and March. We completed almost ALL of our objectives the last round, and the work done was first class. Seriously guys, have you seen this new Tindwyl page updated by Ladymxdnight? And solid objective completions aren't the only big news. You may not check out the Editor's Corner very often, but we hit a new milestone on our "Complete to Stub Ratio." We now have 3 fully complete articles for every lowly stub on the Coppermind! In fact, with just a few more stubs updated we will officially have the lowest stub count in the history of the wiki! Thanks for the hard work, folks!

    A little late, but we're finally back with another set of Coppermind objectives!

    What better way to spend a cold winter day than snuggled up with a blanket, hot cocoa, and an article to write? We had some awesome editors chugging away over the holidays, and got a lot done. We got a good start on Skyward while continuing to chip away at some Cosmere articles that have long needed attention. We'll be continuing that through March!

    As always, we're happy for any help we can get, so don't be shy. If you're new to editing the Coppermind, don't worry; we'll help you out with guides and plenty of assistance. You don't need experience, just the will to help out! We'll also provide awards, because everyone loves fake internet points.

    Happy holidays! We're back with another set of Coppermind objectives! What better way to enjoy the holidays than to complete a Coppermind objective or two?! November brought with it the release of Skyward. A number of awesome editors have helped get these articles moving, but we're going to put an emphasis on these for this set of objectives to keep it moving. If you're more of a cosmere person, have no fear! We've also got several wintery, holiday-themed cosmere articles that need attention! As always, we're happy for any help we can get, so don't be shy. If you're new to editing the Coppermind, don't worry; we'll help you out with guides and plenty of assistance. You don't need experience, just the will to help out! We'll also provide awards, because everyone loves fake internet points.

    We're back with another set of Coppermind objectives and a special award up for grabs this month! We've made some terrific progress on all things Stormlight Archive since Oathbringer released nearly one year ago, and much of the thanks for this goes to all of you who chipped in on objectives--both big and small--over the last few months. As always, we're happy for any help we can get, so don't be shy. If you're new to editing the Coppermind, don't worry; we'll help you out with guides and plenty of assistance. You don't need experience, just the will to help out! We'll also provide awards, because everyone loves fake internet points.

    Between moves, job changes, new universities, and a baby, the Coppermind staff had a pretty busy August… And yet it was a month full of terrific progress thanks to all of you! The hard work you've put in to help us reach our objectives is much appreciated! We're continuing the initiative this month, with a brand new set of objectives. As always, we're happy for any help we can get, so don't be shy. If you're new to editing the Coppermind, don't worry; we'll help you out with guides and plenty of assistance. You don't need experience, just the will to help out! We'll also provide awards, because everyone loves fake internet points.

    Last month, we began a new initiative for the Coppermind. Lots of people want to help out with the wiki, but simply don't know where to start. So we offered up a list of specific objectives that we hoped to complete by the end of the month. The response was overwhelming, and we want to thank everyone involved! We're continuing the initiative this month, with a brand new set of objectives. As always, we're happy for any help we can get, so don't be shy. If you're new to editing the Coppermind, don't worry; we'll help you out with guides and plenty of assistance. You don't need experience, just the will to do help out! We'll also provide awards, because everyone loves fake internet points.

     “Beautiful destroyer. Blunt and effective. Of all those I've claimed over this brief thousand years, you are the only one I think just might be able to understand me.”

    -Ruin, Hero of Ages, ch. 57.

    Brandon's characterization of Vin and Dalinar, arguably the two most violent figures in the cosmere, displays a sensitive and nuanced approach to depicting violence, thrilling readers with incredible fights scenes, without glorifying killing and death.  Awe and disgust may be opposites, but they are brought together in Vin and Dalinar: the beautiful destroyers.

    Happy New Year everyone and welcome back to 17th Shard's YouTube channel! I've got a little New Year's treat for all of you. Whilst I work on my Oathbringer analysis, I wanted to make my own little first reaction/review video. I wrote this script almost straight after the book came out even if it took me a few weeks to put this together. There is a non-spoiler section at the start so you don't need to watch it all the way through

    Greetings, all! To up the hype surrounding the imminent release of Oathbringer (if that’s possible), Botanica and I were asked to write a column centering on the incredibly talented artists in the cosmere fandom. In this issue, we focused on recently created Stormlight fan art, with pieces focusing on scenes and characters from the first two books. We picked a varied group of artists from all across the globe, highlighting the diversity of the cosmere fandom and the creatives who produce fabulous artwork for it. So, without further blab, let’s talk art.

    Today, Helen Maringer from Shire Post Mint has graciously spent her time to give us an interview. The Shire Post Mint has a Kickstarter on making Mistborn coins, and it's been funded eight times over now. It ends on October 28th. The latest stretch goal would mean you get free clips blackened with ash. Check it out! If you'd like to know more, you can also look at our original article showing off all the coins.

    And below, check out our interview!

    Today we are here with the team from The Black Piper, the creators of the Kaladin album on Kickstarter. It's a fantastic look into the behind-the-scenes process and the backstory of the album, and their plans to come. Joining me today are Sae Sae Norris, Producer and Creative Director; Michael Bahnmiller, Composer and Producer; and Richard Williams, Composer and Coordinator. 

    The Kaladin Kickstarter ends Monday, September 25th. For more information on Kaladin, check out our preview on it.

    Hey all, and welcome back to the theory column. Last time's Cosmere 102 was such a long post, that I'm trying to keep this one a little more succinct for you all. Today I am going to highlight a theory post by our very own FeatherWriter (whose excellent podcasts you should definitely check out, if you haven't already). This theory is Roshar's Afterlife and the Tranquiline Halls. This theory contains spoilers for most cosmere books including Mistborn, Warbreaker, and Shadows for Silence, but particularly for The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn: Secret History. I am going to begin by outlining Feather's arguments for the theory, and then I will add my own comments and analysis. 

    The main premise of this theory is that unlike most places in the cosmere, the souls of people who die on Roshar are unable to move on to the Beyond like they do on most other planets. Instead of passing on to whatever the cosmere's afterlife looks like, they are instead interrupted somehow by either Odium or one of his agents, such as the Unmade.