WeiryWriter

Last year, following the release of the 2015 State of the Sanderson I did a lengthy post comparing it to previous States. Well, with the release of this year's State earlier this week (which all of you should go read), I've updated last year's post with all of the new information. Now, without further ado: Finished books being released in the near future: Snapshot This is a novella Brandon wrote during his trip to Dubai back in March. It’s a science fiction story where the police solve crimes using exact re-creations of a given day. Brandon did a reading from it back in June and I must say I found it quite interesting. Also of note is that it takes place in one of the other worlds in the Reckoners multiverse. It is due out in February. Last week Brandon also posted the cover art on his blog: Works in progress: Stormlight 3: Oathbringer I’m not going to go into too much depth, you should really just go read the State proper as a large portion of it is dedicated to this book. Suffice it to say intial drafting is complete and Brandon is working on the third draft presently. It is currently on track for a November 2017 release. Another point Brandon made was making it clear that he just is not going to be able to release Stormlight books as quickly as he originally promised. Eighteen months simply is not feasible, the writing of Stormlight books is much too involved a process. But I think most of us saw this coming and would rather he take the time he feels is necessary rather than just rushing out a book. Upcoming projects… Apocalypse Guard The first book of this series is at the top of Brandon’s list post-Oathbringer. It’s a YA series for Delacorte (which is why it is so high-priority, Brandon needs to spread the love to all his publishers, not just Tor) and also takes place in the Reckoners multiverse, and really digs into the multiverse itself. The Lost Metal This is the final Wax and Wayne book, currently being outlined. He plans on writing it next year for a 2018 release. Brandon also definitely states that the Wax and Wayne novels are Era Two. Unfortunately, this will be the final, planned, Mistborn novel for the foreseeable future. White Sand With the first volume of the graphic novel apparently being a success, the second and third volumes are progressing. Brandon and his team do not really have much control over when they will be released, that is really more up to Dynamite and the artist. They have mentioned the idea of them being released about a year apart from each other, which would mean volume 2 sometime this coming year, but keep in mind that until we have an announced release date that is just an estimate. Secondary projects The Aztlanian We are getting closer to this one being written, with it likely being this coming year. It is also mentioned that The Aztlanian is his most requested book at the moment (which I found rather surprising, though I most certainly agree with the sentiment. It’s currently the book I’m looking most forward to!) Brandon also says that since his eldest son getting close to the age where he can read The Rithmatist, Brandon plans on reading it with him and then jumping into writing the sequel. The Aztlanian was originally planned to be written a couple years ago, but felt he did not have a firm enough grasp on Aztec history and culture to do it justice. He did some research but by the time he had finished did not have enough time finish writing it, and so wrote The Dark Talent instead. Alcatraz Bastille versus the Evil Librarians: The Worldspire The actual final entry in the Alcatraz series. Brandon does not give an estimate on when he will write it, as he needs some flexibility in his schedule. This book and The Aztlanian will slide in whenever he has the time for them. Also if you have not read it yet I would recommend reading Brandon’s bog post on this surprise sixth book. Elantris sequels These are getting closer to being written. The 2014 State said that they had to be written before the 1980s-esque Mistborn trilogy for “behind-the-scenes Cosmere bits”. Last year’s State put the first as one of the books between Stormlight 4 and 5. This State more-or-less reaffirms that plan, explaining that Elantris novels will likely take the place of the Mistborn Era 2 novels in alternating with Stormlight novels. Backburner projects Legion 3 With the upcoming Marvel tv show, titled Legion, effectively killing the chances of this series getting turned into a tv series as is, Brandon has said they are considering rebranding the series as “Leeds” (the main character’s surname) for another run at Hollywood. Another novella would help with this. It could also turn up in an eventual non-Cosmere short story collection (with stories like Perfect State). It probably will not be happening this year however. Regardless, last year he mentioned that this would likely be the final installment unless a tv series does get picked up. Nightblood No change on this. The 2015 State seemed imply he does not plan on writing it until at least after the Elantris sequels are finished. This State does not give much more information, just a reiteration of the fact that the Cosmere as a long outline, and a rather groan-inducing pun. Adamant (previously The Lurker) A science fiction novella that Brandon has described as “Silence of the Lambs in Space”. He has spoken about it before but the plan is for it to be a sequence of six novellas released over the course of a year (one every other month). He has the first one written, and plans on writing three more at some point, with the last two being written by guest authors. No idea on when this will get released as he would like his sequence of novellas finished before it starts to be released. Brandon could write the second at any time. During the summer of 2015 he did mention that he was contemplating sliding it into the cosmere, but there is no mention of that in the either last year’s or this year’s States. With the new knowledge that he wants guest writers coming in, that may mean Adamant becoming Cosmere is off the table, we shall see. Brandon did a reading from the first novella at ConQuest 46 back in May 2015. Dark One The story of a boy discovering he is the one destined to destroy the world, takes place on an electricity-based planet in the cosmere. The 2014 State did mention this as a possible follow-up to The Reckoners for Random House, but they and Brandon decided to go with Apocalypse Guard instead. Brandon is working on the outlines though. Brandon has tried writing three versions of the first chapter, which will be released one a month through the Writing Excuses Patreon in January-March. Death by Pizza In the 2015 State Brandon said he had recently had a breakthrough with. While it was left out of the 2014 State it was included in the 2013 one (though at the time Brandon seemed doubtful of it ever progressing). No real idea when or if it will be released, as Brandon did pitch it as a follow-up to The Reckoners, but that ended up being Apocalypse Guard. No movement on this one, but it is not dead. Dragonsteel No change on this one, it’s not going to be on the docket until after Stormlight 10. (Though check out that sick burn…) The Silence Divine No change on this project either. Brandon has written a small portion of it, which he read during the Words of Radiance tour, but it is still quite a ways off from release. Soulburner A project first mentioned in the 2015 State, it is a space opera/fantasy hybrid. Brandon does not go into too much more depth this year. No progress has been made. Aether of Night This is an old project, one of the thirteen novels Brandon wrote before getting published. Long thought to be a trunked novel, as various concepts from it were cannibalized for other projects, Brandon does mention that it is still part of the cosmere sequence (with seeds of the story already planted in published works). The original draft of this is still available if you request it from Brandon. I have read it and enjoyed it, so I am interested to see Brandon will handle the story going forward. Particularly with the cannibalized sections removed. Untitled Threnody novel A planned novel set on the same planet as Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. Brandon mentions that the original plan for this was to tell the story of the people fleeing the Homeland and the Evil, but is now considering switching gears and telling the story of an expedition sent back to the Homeland. Either way I am incredibly excited for a Threnody novel, I have always found it to be Brandon’s most atmospheric setting. Brandon also reveals that a Threnody novel has been part of his plan for the Cosmere since the beginning. I for one am glad to hear that as it finally makes the “36 book plan” make sense, as I could only ever figure out 35 of them! Untitled Silverlight novella Not planned to come in 2017, but Brandon says we now know enough that he can put this on the list. Untitled Reckoners follow-up A potential follow-up to The Reckoners, featuring Mizzy as the main character. No indication on when it would be written, if ever. The Eyes A novella based on the Fermi Paradox (which asks the question that if there are other advanced civilizations out there, why have humans not detected any radio waves, or other forms of wireless communication, from them) that Brandon wrote a short snippet of during this year’s Writing Excuses Retreat cruise. Brandon released the short bit that he wrote as this month’s Random Hat reward for the Writing Excuses Patreon and I found it to be a really interesting story. I hope Brandon will write the rest of it someday, but he currently has no plans. Skyward A YA cosmere series Brandon mentioned in the 2013 State and has not mentioned since. Status unknown.