tennischamp5

Definitely a morbid thread ya'll started here. Having been a wheel of time fan since middle school, I vividly remember the disillusionment period readers started to have on the wheel of time fan forums and it began somewhat like this. I really hope it doesn't happen to Brandon, as Jordan's case was a little different due to his medical issues. I'm just hoping he doesn't go down the GRRM route where he starts going to so many conventions that he never has time to write - with GRRM, it hit a point where every post of his about a convention become frustrating to read because it was just another hiatus from writing until he got to where he is now... nonstop con to con . That said, glad to see it isn't just me that felt like this next book was taking a while. Not that I mind waiting, but it's not something I expect with Brandon's writing. I noticed someone mentioned above that we got two new Mistborn books in the past year. Any idea what we can look forward to in the coming year as we wait for SA3? I know about the Lift novella, but any other novellas or series that are finishing up or in the works?

Oh I agree - Kaladin has ample reason to be the way he is. Whether it's depression or life circumstances or some combination of both - who's to say? Short of actually seeing him in clinic, it's a bit tough to stick any sort of diagnosis on him - never been a huge fan of labels myself - more important to find an effective treatment rather than worry about what to call it. Especially since we're readers, all we really get is what Brandon chooses to share with us about Kaladin. And objectively - he's definitely got many of the depressive criteria. Whether it's mild/mod/severe shouldn't matter terribly much for the sake of the story. @Jondesu Great points! I haven't heard it called unipolar depression in a while... a lot of the older textbooks used to refer to it that way (makes a lot more sense honestly) but since DSM-V, it's mainly been MDD and Bipolar I/II. I always found it... interesting... that stormlight seems to induce manic symptoms There's quite a few antidepressants on the market that have mania as (side) effects... Pharmaceutical grade stormlight in a capsule mayhaps?

Not yet a medical professional here, but I'm in my final year of medical school (~12 months until I get the MD) and just coming off two months on inpatient psychiatry. You're pretty much spot on. DSM-V (the latest version of the definitive psychiatry manual) defines a diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (At least five of the following for a period of two weeks or greater - Depressed Mood, Decreased Interest, Weight Loss/Gain, Sleep issues, Psychomotor Agitation, Fatigue, Worthlessness, Concentration Issues, and Suicidality), but oftentimes in the clinic, mild/moderate/severe depends on symptoms and the severity of functionality in the patient. Different hospitals and clinics do it differently, but what we did in the hospital to decide between mild/mod/severe was some version of the following: First Group of Symptoms: Depressed Mood - Loss of Interest in Activites - Reduced Energy Second Group of Symptoms: Guilt - Sleep Issues - Appetite Issues - Suicidality/Homicidality - Pessimistic Thoughts - Decreased Self-Esteem Mild = 1+ from the first group w/ 1-2 from the second group and overall functional impairment seems "mild" Moderate = 1+ from the first group w/ 2-3 from the second group and overall functional impairment seems "moderate" Severe = All of the first group w/ 3+ in the second group and either severe impairment, psychosis, recent suicidality, or intent to harm self/others. It wasn't a hard and fast rule, but rather general guidelines. In addition, we'd also evaluate functional status via asking about their lifestyle - social stressors, relationships, work, academic performance, etc. Kaladin could definitely fit into severe, but one could also make a case for moderate when he's not frankly suicidal (which honestly may be less about depression and more about the terrible situation he was in).

When I first read the books, I considered the possibility as well, but I think he's more on the Major Depressive Disorder end of the spectrum, with the stormlight explaining away his "hypomanic" periods. I mean, one could argue that just taking in and holding stormlight makes one more manic/hypomanic in of itself To be fair though, with the world they live in... as a radiant who can suck in stormlight, what radiant wouldn't have seasonal affective disorder during the weeping?

I'm staying optimistic. I do love how time has moved forward in the second trilogy. It's simply the "wild-west" elements that I've disliked. I've never been a fan of guns in my fantasy books, and I'm hoping the sci-fi trilogy or even the modern day trilogy has less of a reliance on them.

Just to provide an alternative opinion. I thought the entire mistborn era 2 is brandon's weakest to date. While that still means it's better than 95% of books out there, it just didn't do it for me. Being the cosmere addict I am, I've read era 2 several times now, but it always feels like a slog. I just really dislike the genre... felt like it moved away from fantasy into the realm of westerns (with a supernatural twist). That said, they're definitely worth reading at least once just to stay up to pace with the all the cosmere-related happenings on scadrial, but they were definitely my least favorite brandon writings to date (Only thing I haven't read is white sand). I've also been very skeptical of amazon reviews as even terribly written books get seemingly amazing reviews .

Excuse my ignorance, but I keep seeing around the forum that the heralds are all insane. Is there a reason they all are insane? I think I missed the reason that was so. I get why Talenel Elin is, but why the rest?

That's the million dollar question, isn't it? I'd assume if he's able to regenerate from his head being blown off, he's restoring or counter-acting some level of cellular aging mechanisms. Otherwise, every time he regenerated, he'd be cutting short his own future life expectancy. Then again, I think there was a WOB that said he still ages... so idk how/why that works then. A certain level of suspension of disbelief I suppose. It doesn't sound so far fetched that if Scadrial creates space travel that they wouldn't also have immunosuppressants. Though it raises an interesting question. If he is indeed just regenerating really really fast, does he have an elevated risk of cancer? Does cancer even exist in scadrial? They seem to have enough plaguing them as it is.

To what extent does Gold actually heal? - If Miles has varicose veins or a necrotic toe, could he amputate the limb and regenerate it back to it's pre-disfigured state? - If Miles had a heart attack, could he rip out his heart and regenerate it to clear out the atherosclerotic plaque build up? - If Miles eventually gets Alzeimher's, could he tear out his brain and restore it to it's pre-atrophic state? Or is it all just tied to what he believes himself to be? If so, he would be immortal, even if he continues to age. Wouldn't he just eventually become an old man who can't die as long as keeps healing whatever buildup/problems that arise? Tech in mistborn is improving quick enough that he'd only need to stave off damage long enough until organ transplants arrive.