Gavin-son-son-Odegard

26 minutes ago, Calderis said:

My main question on the blade is was it switched before or after Taln was put into Bordin's care. Because if it was after, Bordin is involved. There's no other explanation for him not recognizing the difference between the blade in the WoK epilogue, and the blade in WoR. 

I forgot to address this. Yeah this an important question, I don't think there's any hints in the book itself indicating either way. Do we have any WoB that might shed some light on this?

I'll say this though, I don't see why Bordin would swap the Blades or be involved in the process in anyway, from what we've seen of him so far he's incredibly loyal to Dalinar, so why would he do that. Of course Brandon can totally pull the rug from under us and reveal that guy has been secretly working with the Ghostbloods or some other nefarious entity this entire time or something, but from what we know so far, he's not a very likely candidate. 

@Calderis, Honorblades were the blades of the Heralds and given how big the Heralds are in Vorin ideology, it's likely that people have heard of them even if its just as objects of legends and myths. Of course, either way, most people would have no idea what they looked like and wouldn't differentiate between one and Shardblade if they see it, also the powers they grant the wielder isn't common knowledge either.

Also, you have to remember that we don't really know anything about Liss's background, where she is from, who she really is as a person, how she acquired her Shardblade, her beliefs, the extant of her knowledge about Surgebinding, the Radiants, the Heralds and such, none of this is known to us. So it's not out of the realm of possibilities that she might be informed about them. We just have no way of knowing that for now.

9 minutes ago, Darkness said:

makes some sense... Both she and Bordin were spying on Aesudan, and if she saw him hurry off with a mysterious, shrouded stranger, she could easily choose to follow. I dont know what her incentive for swapping blades might be... Maybe someone was following her blade's trail and she had to get rid of it?

Yeah figuring out her motivation here is key and I got nothing on that front.

Something just occurred to me regarding unknown Blades and Liss. And I could be way way off here but I'll mention it anyway. 

We know that Taln's Honorblade was swapped for a Shardblade of unknown origin at some point between his arrival in Kholinar at the end of WOK and his arrival at the Shattered Plains in WOR. Now since I'm pretty sure Liss is still in Kholinar spying on Aesudan, and she's, as far as I know, the only Shardbearer present in Kholinar at this point, could she have swapped her Blade for Taln's Honorblade?

Admittedly I'm not really well-informed on the current theories about the Taln's Honorblade, so someone might've already come up with a better theory or there could be WoB I don't know about that contradicts mine, or maybe someone has already proposed this theory somewhere. BUT if not, then its' worth consideration at least. I mean it's pretty likely, though I don't know what Liss's motivation would be for doing this - maybe she just wanted an Honorblade - but it's a possibility nonetheless. 

@Calderis, yeah Sons of Honor are the least likely candidates here by far. 

Ghostblood, on the other hand, are really likely to be involved here. Given both Jasnah's conflict of interests with them and the fact that they were aware Bordin was left behind by Dalinar to spy on Aesudan which could suggest they have an interest in the matter. 

But, as you said, we know so little of their goals and motivations that it's hard to say anything for certain.

Your 'mundane' option makes a lot of sense here and at this point seems the most likely. Also if the Odium theory turns out to be true, then we could have a political spy who is also influenced by Odium himself as the queen of Alethkar which makes for a whole lot of possibilities and an all around awesome storyline.

Also

1 hour ago, Calderis said:

But mainly say it's wait and watch Brandon shock us with something totally unforeseen but accurately foreshadowed.

This is absolutely something Brandon could and would do which is one of the many reasons we adore him so.

As for Liss, you make some great points that I hadn't but should've considered. So it's pefectly possible for her to have come upon and bonded previously undiscovered Blades. Though Surgebinding is still a possibility.

It'll be interesting, though somewhat convenient, if she does turn out to be a Surgebinder

@SLNC, I get the logic behind you points and agree with some of them as well. I find your analysis of Shallan and Adolin's relationship interesting, though I don't agree with it fully. Sure Shallan's feelings for him begin on a superficial note, her just being overwhelmed by his good looks and charms and same was true for Adolin's initial attraction for her. However I'd argue that with them spending time with each other and getting to know each other throughout the course of WOR, they're slowly building a deeper, more mature connection, even though They've only been courting for a relatively short time. I genuinely see a depth to their relationship already and a potential for a beautiful and mature relationship based upon a great deal of love and trust and respect. There's already in my opinion a healthy amount of mutual respect between them.

And While it's true that Shallan and Kaladin have formed a deep connection and a great deal of respect for one another following their ordeal and revelations in the chasm and while this could suggest that they might make for a great couple,in my opinion that same reasoning can be used to argue against them as a couple. Let me tell you what I mean; just because two people are similar and have a lot in common doesn't automatically suggest they'd be good match, sometimes that can actually work against them. Often we need people who complement us and vice versa, a relationship when the two people in it balance each other out tends to be a healthy one.

Shallan and Kalladin are too similar in both what they've gone through as well as their attitudes. Their both too stubborn and hotheaded and I get the feeling that as a couple they would just butt heads and argue about every little thing.

Also there's the issue for me of the unnecessary relationship drama and angst and the inevitable jealousies that would come into play if the story goes that route. Ugh. Once again I do have absolute faith in Brandon as a writer and know that he can pull of anything beautifully. Still, love triangles by their very nature are wrapped in a world of drama and I'm not sure how much Brandon can avoid that.

It's probably abundantly obvious by now that I'm not the biggest fan of romance in general. Now I can enjoy a good romantic side plot in a novel so long as it is well written and doesn't take up too much 'screen time' so to speak. This is by the way, precisely why I'm so against love triangles since they inevitably result in romance coming to the forefront of a story and generate - in my opinion -  too much unneeded drama. I know this all my personal views and feelings and it's not like the existence of a love triangle in Oathbringer or any other Brandon Sanderson book would stop me from reading them - nothing short of a full-blown zombie apocalypse could potentially do that and even that might not be enough   -  so ultimately it's just a personal preference, and a very passionate one at that.  

16 hours ago, Datan Nomlibash said:

I'm not to worried. Brandon likes to take old tropes and twist them in interesting new ways (warbreaker) and even if it does turn into a love triangle I think it will be interesting to read anyway.

I'm not worried either. I have complete trust in Brandon as a storyteller. He's shown more than once how good he is at subverting genre tropes and conventions. I just really really don't want a love triangle in my favorite series. I realize that its my personal opinion and bias talking at this point, but I just can't help it. A well-written and not-completely-cliche love triangle is still a love triangle and while I'm sure it would at the very least be tolerable at Brandon's hands, I'd personally still prefer he doesn't go that route. 

9 hours ago, Darkness said:

The diagram didn't exist when Jasnah contemplated assassination, Taravangian only went to the Nightwatcher after Gavilar's assassination. I'm not saying she couldn't be a diagrammist these days, but it certainly wasn't the reason for Jasnah's deliberations.

Good point, don't why how I missed that. Aesudan could, however, still have had her own secret agenda at the time or been a part of some other secret group but not the Diagram. Hmm...

This puts us back at square one as regards Jasnah's motivations.

8 hours ago, Calderis said:

So far in this thread I've only addressed Jasnah's motivation for possible assassination, but this has got me thinking about Aesudan and the little we know about her and I honestly think she is exactly what she seems.

We're told a few times throughout the books that the Shattered Plains have effectively become the true seat of Alethi power. It's where the real political games are played. Aesudan has been left behind to manage Kholinar, which she's done poorly, and is removed from any real scheming going on, as all the major players are in the war camps. 

She has an army of ardents and servants and has done nothing but make herself comfortable at the expense of all else. She very well may have been manipulated by someone in a society, but hers are not the actions of someone who is scheming. She's essentially set herself up as a target for the rage of the lower classes, and while I can easily see that being a position she may have been maneuvered into, it would be a fairly suicidal move to make intentionally.

The more I think about it, the more I think Jasnah was considering removing a liability, and Aesudan is merely shockingly incompetent. 

  You make a convincing argument here. And honestly there's a good chance that you could end up being right about this.

 But I still think there could be more. I think the point we both can agree on is the real possibility of an outside influence on Aesudan - from Odium or something similar - that is manipulating her and directing her actions in a certain direction. Now what the wider implications of this could be and whether or not it has any bearings on Jasnah's actions we can't really say. We also don't know how long she has been under this influence, from before Gavilars' death, or perhaps it started at some point after that?

Now as for Jasnah, if her only reason for wanting Aesudan out of the picture was indeed as you say to eliminate a political liability, then why she decided not to go through with the assassination? Why have Liss watch her instead?

I just reread the chapter, specifically the part with Jasnah's meeting with Liss, and something stands out to me:

Quote

No. This was too brash. She didn't know if her father realized what she was doing, but even if he hadn't, too much was happening in this palace. She did not want to commit to an assassination until she was more certain.

From this quote we see that Jasnah's inner conflict regarding the assassination comes down to 3 main points; first, that her father might be suspicious of her already which would put her in danger should she proceed with the assassination. Second, is the the issue of timing, seeing as so much was happeing at the palace at the time what with the treaty with the Parshendi. And the third is the she decides she needs to be more certain before proceeding. 

But what it is that she needs to be certain about? If she wants Aesudan dead only because the woman is incompetent and would make a terrible future queen, then what more information does she need? I imagine Aesudan's shallowness, narcissism and political ineptness would have been somewhat obvious to Jasnah at that point, so what more did she need? And what would having Liss observe Aesudan accomplish if there isn't anything more to the woman?

This tells me that there has to be more to Aesudan, or at least that Jasnah believes there to be and I trust Jasnah's judgment.

Sidenote: Somewhat unrelated to the topic at hand but from what we learn of Liss in WOR prologue it appears that she's a Shardbearer- She has a Blade at least. Now given that women usually don't get to be Shardbearers in present day Roshar and also how far she goes to keep her whole operation a secret, it stands to reason that hers isn't a registered Shardblade. Since people keep records of those and if one was missing it would be noted. So she couldn't have stolen a Blade or killed a Shardbearer and taken his Blade for her own, since both of these scenarios are too conspicuous and risky. So does that mean that she had a new unregistered Blade all her own? Which would mean she's a surgbinder?

I know that might be bit of stretch but it just occured to me after rereading the chapter so I had to mention it.  

OK I know I'm somewhat late to this party but this is something that I feel strongly about, so I'd thought I put in my two cents as well.

I absolutely detest love triangles.

Like, I can't emphasize how much I hate love triangles. I get that there are a lot of you guys in this thread that love and enjoy this trope and I respect that and don't wish to come across as rude. That said I honestly hope Brandon doesn't go the love triangle route.

Aside from this being a predictable and tired over-used cliche, it doesn't really even make sense here. While there definitely is some attraction between Shallan and Kaladin why on earth would she leave Adolin for him. She and Adolin have a great relationship with mutual love and respect and a deep connection even though they've been together for a relatively short time. And even though it was an arranged betrothal, Shallan obvoiusly has genuine deep feelings for him and vice versa for Adolin.

Not to mention that the marriage makes great political sense for Shallan as well, being married into and allied with the most powerful family in Alethkar, it's essential for Shallan and her families future. This is something that's been said over and over in WOR. Even with Shallan being a KR now, she still needs that connection.   

Also while Shallan and Kaladin do definitely have great chemistry together and after the whole chasm ordeal, now a great deal of respect too, given how much they have in common. None of this means they'd be great as a couple. This is something that people tend not to consider, being good friends and getting along in that capacity does not in anyway guarantee that you'd also make a good couple as well.

Besides there are already more than enough romantic arcs and plotlines in fiction in any media while well-written platonic friendships between people of opposite sex - especially when their both straight - are harder to find. So can't we for once, just have a great, mature, well-written platonic relationship between two young, attractive protagonists? It's a lot more interesting to read and can make for great, far less predictable character development. Especially since both Kaladin and Shallan are awesome, nuanced characters with their own struggles and the fact that they have so much in common and the understanding that they've developed regarding one another after the chasm thing.

 I would love for there to be a scene or two (at least) of Shallan and Kalladin, say, practicing their Surgebinding and also their Shardblade skills - since their both inexperienced in that as well - together and bonding (platonically!) and learning with and from each other. Woudln't scenes and interactions like this be far more interesting and refreshing than the same old, done-a-thousand-times-before romantic plotline and love triangle and the inevitable drama and angst that would only serve to take up precious space in the book and detract from more important plots and character moments and such?

8 minutes ago, thegatorgirl00 said:

If Aesudan were working with the Diagramists, that would probably mean she is acting spoiled and selfish on purpose. Her actions would turn people against her and the leadership, creating the discontent and riots currently gappening. That way, when Mr. T comes in with his Jah Keved army, the people would welcome him with open arms due to his reputation as a kind and generous ruler. 

That's exactly what I'm thinking. The riots and discontent in Kholinar is exactly what Mr. T would want, though I can't actually see him taking over Alethkar, but the chaos serves his purpose anyway. Also we've yet to actually meet Aesudan 'on screen' so to speak, so we don't actually know what she's like as a person, what little we know of her are accounts and descriptions by other parties, once we do finally meet her - and I'm positive we will in Oathbringer -  it'll give us a somewhat better foundation for assessing the viability of this theory.

18 minutes ago, thegatorgirl00 said:

Storms, I like this theory. The two of them could basically just be playing good cop bad cop on the scale of countries. The main problem with this is that Mr. T never thought about or mentioned her in any of his chapters, which you would expect him to if she were such an important part of his plans.

The fact that Mr. T never mentioned her isn't really a problem. He's only had one POV chapter so far, and there's a lot we still don't know about his plan, in terms of details and specifics. What we were shown in his interlude chapter through his actions, conversations and thoughts were only things that were relevant to what was happening and the things he was focusing on at the time. So this isn't really a hole in the theory. 

3 hours ago, Calderis said:

I point back to my first post. Although Jasnah may not have foreseen outright riots because Aesudan was left to rule alone, she saw the way the public would perceive her and how that could be used against Elhokar.

Imagine the assassination of Gavilar never happened and the storyline of the books didn't happen. If the Elhokar inherited normally, and the woman capable of sparking the riots in Kholinar were queen, how could that possibly not be used against him? There would be no war to hold the princedoms together. No gem hearts to let them languish and enjoy Elhokar's weak rule. They would have turned to scheming against him almost immediately. A politically insensitive queen who is capable of turning the people against the king is a glaring risk in the first heirs reign. 

 

And due to mobile I can't remove this from the bottom of my post. Bah. 

@Gavin-son-son-Odegard

I apologize for the late reply Calderis.

Yeah what you say does admittedly make a lot of sense, Jasnah could very well have been going by this reasoning in her decision to hire an assassin. However, for some reason I feel like there could be more to this, maybe it's just my expectation - solidified after reading 8 Cosmere novels -  of Brandon and his storytelling that there is always more to things and people than what it seems at first. "There's always another secret." As Kelsier would say.

To be honest I really don't have any concrete proof, or even a more substantial hint or two in support of my theory. It's mostly my expectation and hope that this is the case. 

11 minutes ago, What's a Seawolf? said:

When I first read the Interlude (?) that showed the decrepit state of Alehtkar, or at least the small piece that we saw, my mind immediately flashed back to *Mistborn Spoilers* 

  Reveal hidden contents

Ruin's influence in Hero of Ages

and some of the happenings there.

Not saying the same thing is happening with Odium, but I don't think it's a stretch to say some outside influence is taking place.  I could see it being one of the Unmade we don't know anything about yet.

I would love for her to actually be a part of either Mr. T's group or the Ghostbloods though.  Would make for some great interactions and provide a nice segue for more main characters to meet those groups.

Great observation with the Mistborn comparison, there's definitely some parallels.

I personally believe it's really likely for Aesudan to be part of a secret group - my money's on the Diagram - that would make things even more interesting.

46 minutes ago, Calderis said:

@Gavin-son-son-Odegard I'll agree to disagree on Jasnah's motivation. 

Whatever is going on with Aesudan and Odium, beyond it changing Aesudan's behavior (much as we've been told happened with Shallan's father)  it would have no bearing on Jasnah's actions. 

Jasnah could dislike Aesudan and not considerer assassination. Jasnah is logically motivated enough that I doubt her personal opinion of the woman matters at all. 

The moment that that woman becomes a threat to the Kholin family though... She could think Aesudan was a phenomenal human being, and kill her for being a threat to her family.

I agree that Odium's influence on Aesudan would have no bearing on Jasnah's actions. I'm with you on that. 

But when and why did she become a threat to the Kholin family? The things that we'e heard and seen of Aesudan so far aren't enough imo to make her a legitimate threat. Yes her actions led to the riots in Kholinar towards the end of WOR but Jasnah would have no way of anticipating that so there must be more to this, something Jasnah knows that we don't about Aesudan. 

57 minutes ago, WhiteLeeopard said:

Its been a bit since I fully re-read SA, so my mind is a bit fuzzy for details. Do we know where Aesudan is from and why she was married to Elhokar so early? I seem to remember that Elhokar married her when he was very young, but no reason for it. 

No I'm pretty sure her origins and background haven't yet been revealed. For some reason I think it's likely that she may not be from Alethkar, but I don't know why.

She and Elhokar married sometime before Gavilar's assassination though I don't think it's been revealed exactly when.

There certainly seem to be more than a few odd tidbits surrounding her, aren't there? 

14 hours ago, maxal said:

Don't we have a WoB which indicates, or at least heavily implies, Aseduan might have been "compromised" by Odium?

Ooh this is interesting. And it actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it, her being influenced can potentially explain at least some of her behavior. Though it still doesn't fully explain Jasnah's actions since she wouldn't have any way of knowing about Odium's influence on Aesudan. But I still like this theory a lot.

9 hours ago, skaa said:

And here's another WoB relevant to the OP:

 

Quote

 

QUESTION

Why did Jasnah try to have Elhokar’s wife assassinated?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Well, you’ll need to get to know Elhokar’s wife a little better before you’ll get an answer to that. But understand that Jasnah is very deliberate in her choices, and protecting her family is one of her most important personal mandates.

(Source.)

 

 

Ok I get this, she's deliberate and highly protective of her family. I have no got that she would go as far as necessary to protect her family and Jasnah doesn't seem the type to worrytoo much over the ethical implication of things, instead relying on critical thinking and logic. And it doesn't surprise at all me that she's capable of having people assassinated if need be. BUT for her to have Aesudan assassinated, she would need to have a damnation good reason. Even if she didn't like the woman - which I'm sure she didn't - Aesudan is still her sister in-law and more importantly wife to the heir to the future king of Alethkar, killing her would be treason. And even though I'm certain both Jasnah and Liss now how to cover their tracks perfectly, it's still a huge risk on Jasnah's part, which brings me back to the main question:  

what kinda threat did she perceive Aesudan to pose against her family to warrant even considering such extreme actions?

In my opinion, this has to be about more than Jasnah's worry and contempt over the woman's incompetence, narcissism, selfishness and the it's potential negative impact on the family's political image, power and rule over the country. Don't get me wrong, this is definitely a serious and legitimate concern but one that warrants assassination? I don't think so.  

Also what made Jasnah change her mind and have Liss just watch Aesudan for the time being? Perhaps, she needed more information, or some sort of confirmation of whatever information she already had on Elhokar's wife. I think it's possible that Jasnah's initial dislike of Aesudan because of the woman's above-mentioned traits, had led her to look more into Aesudan and her background and whatever information she dug up had to be troubling enough for her to decide on assassination as a means of dealing with it.

Hmmm...questions...questions and so few hints let alone answers. I'm pretty sure we'll learn more about this in Oathbringer what with Jasnah back on Roshar and almost certaintly reuniting with her family and Shallan as well as Kaladin going to Kholinar right after Hearthstone, which means he probably meets and interacts Aesudan herself and maybe even Liss. Lots of information/revelations can come out of these.

November can't come soon enough    

I've searched through the forum and haven't found any threads specifically discussing this, which is a little surprising. If such a thread exists and I missed it, I apologize. Now on to the topic.

What's the deal with Aesudan Kholin, Elhokar's wife? 

In the WOR prologue, we learn that Jasnah was contemplating having Aesudan assassinated by Liss before changing her mind and having her merely spy on the queen for the time being. But why? what's so special about Aesudan? Who is she? What sort of threat does Jasnah believe her to pose to her family that she is willing to go as far as have her assassinated?

Sure Aesudan, as shown in Lhan's interlude chapter in WOR, is definitely not a really good person nor a good ruler, throwing lavish parties and being excessive, wasteful and out of touch with and uncaring of the common people. All of this make her a terrible person but it's not enough to justify Jasnah's actions against her. Like Jasnah had to have been convinced that Aesudan was serious bad news for her family to even contemplate going as far as an assassination attempt. Not to mention Jasnah had this planned while Gavilar was still alive, so Aesudan wasn;t even queen then.

There's also the fact that Bordin, said to be one of Dalinar's most trusted servants, had been left behind in Alethkar to spy on Aesudan, or at least this is what Mraize claims. If that's true then does that mean Dalinar shares at least some of Jasnah's suspicions regarding the queen? I highly doubt he knows about Liss and Jasnah's almost assassination attempt against Aesudan since I'm sure he wouldn't have approved of it. But both Dalinar and Jasnah must now something about Aesudan that warrants having people spy on her.

And how do the Ghostbloods know about, for that matter how much do they know? Is Aesudan somehow connected to them? Or maybe she's associated with the Diagram or some other secret organization since Roshar seems to be crawling with them. I think it's pretty obvious that there's more to her but what?

There's something else mentioned in the Lhan interlued that might also be relevant somehow:

Quote

"Here's the thing," Lhan said. "The queen...she sometimes worries that maybe the Almighty isn't pleased with her"

  Why is that? What has she done or things she's done that led her to believe the Almight might be displeased with her?

I don't have any concrete theories about this yet myself, gotta do a little more investigation, dig a little deeper, look for more hints and foreshadowings and things like that if there are any in the relevant chapters before forming one. But I figured I start this discussion here to see what you guys think and if any of you have any theories/ speculations of your own or know of any WOBs regarding this because this is something that has been on my mind since I finished WOR.

1 hour ago, Figberts said:

Sadeas. Camon is a petty bully, Sadeas is a corrupt politician. Maybe Sadeas would be... oh crap, no politics on the forums .

Would you rather eat Chouta or Scadrian waffles?

I'll go with the waffles (though I didn't even know Scadrial had waffles), because Chouta doesn't sound appealing to me at all.

Would you rather face a Steel Inquisitor or the Assassin in White?

I've been looking through this thread, and it's refreshing to see a discussion about religion that remains so civil and friendly and accepting. It's something we definitely need more of. 

Anyway, I'm an agnostic myself. This is a belief I've come to after years and years of research and reflection and inner struggle and it's position that genuinely makes me happy to be in. A little background, I grew up in a Muslim household, though my parents were never overly-religious, my mom can be described as a non-practicing Muslim and my dad as ...ah, partially practicing (is that a thing?) so I had the freedom to kinda figure myself out, to a degree. There was a time that I truly believed in the fundamental teachings of Islam - even though I was never a fully practicing Muslim - but that was a long time ago.

I have nothing but respect for people who subscribe to religions of any kind, and wish them the best, but I personally don't think it's necessary for one to follow a religion in order to live a happy and healthy life. You can be compassionate and kind to your fellow human beings without religion, you don't need a deity to watch your every movement and action to be a kind and charitable person.    

I have a personal moral code which is a result of years of research and learning and thinking as well as my own personal world view. This is one of the things that I love most about being without religion, the freedom to live life on my own terms with my own moral code and not having to adhere to a central set of rules and codes set forth by another party. 

P.S. I love that we have pagans here. Since I'm woefully ignorant about pagan religions and would really love to learn more about them. 

27 minutes ago, Argent said:

Eh. I was actually hoping you would've just chosen the name for fun. I wasn't trying to dwell on potential personal issues. Respond as you wish, I won't (potentially) intrude. 

Oh no, I did choose the name for fun, and simply because I wanted a cool-sounding name. That's the real life reason.

There's no actual daddy issues involved here. Sorry, should've made that more clear. I was just joking around .

I am however working on creating a fictional background story for myself which involves my father having been branded Truthless and exiled from Shin and which I'll by happy to share once I'm done ironing out the details.

Thanks @Zennix, and I'll happily accept extra cookies if you have them 

@Yas, Thanks, I'm excited to be here.

3 minutes ago, Hemalurgic_Headshot said:

Welcome to the Shard! You have already won friends among the Dark Alley, so I won't try to Preserve your soul and prevent your intake of cookies. I suppose you're ready for Oathbringer in November? Of course you are. If you need anything, just ask!

A few helpful tips: to mention someone, do @<insert username here>. The envelope in the top menu bar is the PM tab, you can send messages to people with it. Next to that is your profile, where you can set your profile picture, type up some personal info, and put a little rank for yourself.

Have an upvote!

Thanks for the tips. And yeah of course I'm excited for Oathbringer, I would've time traveled to November if I could. Ugh, I hate waiting. Well. thankfully I've got a big to-read list of both Cosmere and Non-Cosmere books to keep me busy till then. 

7 minutes ago, Argent said:

Do you... not get along with your father? Shin tradition dictates you append your father's name (as a male child), so you would skip that and go to your grandfather ("son-son") only if you didn't want your father's name associated with yours.

Also, welcome. We are all nerds in here.

Do you want the real life reason for the name choice or the made-up background story reason?

Thanks! I definitely plan to read Elantris at some point soon, I actually started on it a while back but for some reason didn't get past the first few chapters, gotta remedy that. Arcanum Unbounded will probably be my next Cosmere read, though. It's a long wait till November and I'm gonna try to catch up on as many Cosmere novels and stories as I can.

Oh and thanks for the cookie, can never have enough cookies 

Well, hello everybody, nice to meet you all, Surgebinders, Allomancers, and Voidbringers alike. I'm a relatively recent Brandon Sanderson/ Cosmere fan. By relatively recent, I mean for over a year now, and by 'fan' I mean I'm freaking in love with the man, his magnificently imaginative mind, and the masterpieces of fantasy that he's created.

The Mistborn Series was my introduction to him and to the Cosmere and boy did I love every bit of it. I've since read all the six book in the series (the trilogy and the Era 2 books) along with the Secret History novella. I dived into Stormlight Archive because I needed something to hold me over until the next Mistborn books comes out, and also I needed more Sanderson goodness in my life in general and had heard really good things about the series. I had high expectations but storms I never thought it could ever surpass Mistborn for me.

I was pulled into the story and the world by the very first page of WOK, by the end of the book I'd already fallen in love with the world; and now, having just finished WOR this morning, I...well, the 'impossible' has happened. The Stormlight Archive has surpassed Mistborn , oh the latter is still - and will be always - among my all time favorite works of fiction, but Stormlight Archive...it's just breathtakingly epic, and we're only 2 books in!

Which is why I'm here. I needed a venue where I could share my sheer awe and love for the series and the Cosmere and just the genius that is Brandon Sanderson as a whole. I'm still riding the high of the epicness of WOR, so much pent-up fanboy energy to release, lest I explode. It's so great to have others to discuss, admire and just generally geek over this amazing books with.

I'm so excited to be a part of this community.