Bort

I'd like to add my name to those suggesting China Meiville, Orsson Scott Card, and Terry Pratchett. For my own suggestions, try the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb, or the Temeraire books by Naomi Novik.

From the comments I've seen from GRRM and the staff that work on GoT, there is going to be considerable shift between the books and series. GRRM said it was because he didn't want fans of the books to get all spoilered. The ending of the TV show will not be the same as the ending in the books. Apparently.

I'm looking forward to reading Dalinar's flashbacks, and finally finding out more about Shshshshsh. As for the sword and the book, Oathbringer, I think it kind of indicates that book three of the Stormlight Archives will cover the Bondsmiths as well as their first new member. After all, one of his oaths was that he would bring people together. I'm of the opinion that his sword was named, not for the book, but for the oaths his blade brought Gavilar (as in, kneeling Highprinces swearing oaths of allegiance).

Ooh, bagels... We don't yet have an official food of the Knights Awkward, but I'd support us adopting the bagel. Welcome to the 17th Shard Ovis

I found an empty bank account So far I've bought Fallout 3 GOTY, ARK, Evil Genius, and a couple of offerings from Bundle Stars which got me another 19 games for less than a tenner. Oh, and I allowed my self to be sucked into the card trading, so another £20 ended up going on stupid trading cards. The other games I want to pick up in the sale, well, there's really only one, and that is Shadowrun Chronicles: Boston Lockdown.

Thanks for the correction, Shardlet. I've edited my post. Ok, I'll attempt to address your points here... 1. Shardblades are indestructible, shardplate shatters. This is true, however shardblades are summoned from the cognitive realm (I assume it is the cognitive realm anyways, maybe spiritual - maybe both depending on whether or not the spren is alive or 'dead'). Shardplate is permanently in the physical realm. You do not summon your plate, you instead have armourers who come and fit it onto you. That is a fairly major difference between plate and blades, and is probably most of the reason why shardblades cut through anything - they are not really in the physical plane, so can sever the spiritual connection holding the physical items together. Plate can stop shardblades because (if my theory is correct), they are also made from spren, therefore exist in both the physical realm, and the cognitive/spiritual. 2. Flamespren has no physical aspect. Incorrect. It has a physical aspect in that it appears like a small flame, dancing in the fire. It isn't much, but it is a physical aspect, otherwise simply measuring it should not have caused it to freeze. 3. Spren love stormlight. Syl goes out to play highstorms. Soulcasting requires stormlight, both for contacting Shadesmar, and as a bribe to the spren of the item you are casting. Even the Listeners. When they are trying to change their form, the capture a spren in a gemstone, and take it out into highstorms. I think it is probably a fairly safe assumption that the energy gained from stormlight is what is used to fuel the transformation. 4. I didn't say it was all one spren. The more intelligent spren, Cryptics, Honourspren, and so on, are the ones that created the bond. Perhaps the plate is made up of lesser, 'cousin' spren, like Kaladin's armour would be made up of windspren, Syl's 'cousins'. We've already seen how spren like these flock together, so I don't think it is much of a stretch for this to happen. 5. Shardplate requires stormlight to function. True, but what is it used for? Enhanced strength and agility, repairing damage, and, I assume, to allow proper, physical movement (and I'm not just talking bowels here, Adolin lovers). Probably also to allow the plate to mold itself to the user. What do the Radiants (Kaladin, anyways) use stormlight for? Enhanced strength and agility, repairing damage, and allowing for free movement (plus surgebinding, but that is an ability the plate does not seem to have).

I'll admit for an actual costume, Spook's would probably be the one I went for.

In Way of Kings, there is an interlude chapter, which follows the exciting lives of a pair of Ardents whose names escape me presently. One is obsessed with food, and the other, with mathematics and/or spren. In this chapter it is noted that when a flamespren is measured, and its height recorded, it stops fluctuating in size and shape. It is also noted that this freezes it's height, but not other attributes, allowing the flame to still move slightly, although just not up or down. What if this is how Shardplate is formed? No-one knew what Shardblades were until recently, when Syl explained them to Kaladin. Until then, they had just been really cool magical swords. Now we know Shardblades are dead spren, and the gem and heartbeats is used to 'wake it up' to be used. What if the Shardblade is the same, only locked into a specific form in ages past? Shardplate was just another really cool magical item, until it was discovered that Shardblades are spren. What do we really know about Plate though? It stops Shardblades. It repairs itself, and parts that have been completely broken can be regrown using the rest of the Plate, or a fragment of the shattered piece. It uses Stormlight. This may just be for repairs, or it may also use Stormlight to power the enhancements Plate bestows on its wearer. Either way, you go into combat with infused gemstones, you come out with dead ones, or at least, weaker. Syl does not seem to find Plate offensive (she does with Shardblades because she sees them as dead spren - remember she comments about how Dalinar was a better man now he had given up his Blade, but she made no mention of his Pate). If Plate is made of shapelocked spren, chances are they wouldn't be dead, only dormant, so not as offensive to Syl. So, there you have my theory. Shardplate is created from living, but shape locked Spren.

When are the mods going to slap Kas and Wyrm for being deliberately confusing and disorienting when they are in the middle of a game, and finally put their accounts back in order?

A tiny, ancient being of a man, Bortholemew the Blind needed help climbing up into the train carriage. Damnation steps. He also had to be careful, so his long, white beard didn't get stuck in the doors, or worse, the wheels. What in the blazes was this contraption anyways? "The fastest way to travel." Hmph. Now, if he could only find the secrets he sought. Then he could return home to the Awkwardmother's side, and lead the Knights Awkward into a new era of book reading. I'm in.

I'm with Alvron on this. If betrayal is your thing, then join Sanderson Elimination. You'll have a great time... Right up until someone stabs you in the back (if you haven't retaliated by stabbing them in the back first).

Lark, this is what I said about the Star Trek RPG that I'm a member of. If you are interested, either PM me on here for more info, or check out Borderlands online. Quiver, the invitation to join us is still there. Just go and complete the application when you want to.

I got this on friday. I spent quite a bit of time at the weekend trying to reconfigure it to make it playable, and I nearly succeeded. I might try it on one of the low memory modes, to see if that helps.

Glad I read up on the terminology already, otherwise I'd be wondering how a three-wheeled bike would help gather berries

Naomi Novik. I knew there was a name I was trying to remember when I was adding my reply. I've heard good things about Uprooted, but have never read it. I own most of the Temeraire series though. Napoleonic wars with a dragon based air force. It's an interesting concept, and Naomi writes it well.

I know of a few fantasy authors who are female, and who could potentially rank up there with the others you've named. Robin Hobb - I know you've said you read some of her work, but it didn't leave you wanting more, but I recommend going back to her. Check out the Farseer trilogy, the Liveship Traders, then the Tawny Man trilogy. They are easily her best work, but if you didn't start with Assassin's Apprentice, then I can see it making little sense. If you read the Soldier's Son series, then I can understand why you wouldn't want to go back. Avoid this one, it's just not very well written, unlike her Fitz and Fool books. Trudi Canavan - Author of the Black Magician trilogy, a standalone prequel, and a sequel trilogy. Also, check out the Age of the Five trilogy.

Ok, I gave in to temptation and bought this in the summer sale today. Now I just need to get through the rest of my work day, so I can go home and start taming dinosaurs Hey Voidus, any advice for a new player, besides 'Don't go swimming'?

I think he did too. That'll teach me for not reading the quote properly.

So I saw when I read a Steam review of the game. Apparently some guy found a small settlement, knocked everyone unconscious, then fed them all to the sharks.

Alright, now this is just getting more and more tempting. I know it still needs to be optimized, which means it will probably run dreadfully on my PC, but taming baby dinosaurs!!!! Who doesn't want to do that?

Unless I've missed something incredibly huge, Szeth isn't in Mistborn.

Especially when the Stormfather gets his claws on the fragments of pillow and scatters them like splinters of a Shard.

@Kobold King: That is a truly awesome idea. I would love to see you pull it off someday. If I wasn't restricted by minor details like reality, I'd love to turn up at a cosplay event as a chasmfiend. Or, wear all black, apart from a few small patches of white, and one, slightly larger, patch of red. Go as the Cosmere itself. Dye lots of cotton wool black, make a huge costume out of it all, and go as the Stormfather. Slightly more realistic, get some long, straight robes, and a hat/mask with those odd symbols on them, go as a Cryptic.

You throw them a release party, with release day cake, and release day gifts.

Only when the platypus isn't hungry.