Use the Falchion

Felt, the Kandra worldhopper, the Rosharan worldhopper, a new world hopper, of which this is their first appearance; another author cameo, just a really good information broker. I have no idea, and didn't question it too much (but I agree he was pretty interesting). I think someone asked Brandon this on Reddit earlier this week.

Maybe feed the baby a cocktail of all the metals and see which ones they might use instinctively in the presence of a savant Seeker? As for the kids' age, I'm sure they can snap as babies. Vin snapped during childbirth, and with Harmony making it easier there's a higher chance the baby won't die (man...this is dark...).

Kaladin in WoK, Shallan in WoR, Dalinar in OB. Rysn for the interludes in WoK and WoR, Szeth for the interludes in OB.

Stone Boards - These souffles and cream puffs will stand while others fall! Now serving crem-brick pizza on our special Stoneward slabs!

Since I'm likely not going to start and play any new games this year, here's my list of the top games I played in 2019. 1. Ah, Persona Emblem*. This game easily was my favorite game of the year. It's one of the few games I've ever played where I finished it and immediately started up a new file (others include Mass Effect 2, Persona 5, and Fire Emblem Awakening). But what made FE3H the top game? Phenomenal voice acting, an engaging story, great music, a memorable cast, style, and refined gameplay. I hesitate to say this game reinvented or reinvigorated the FE franchise, but it did everything right when it needed to, and showed fans that it cares. Three Houses is the culmination of nearly every game before it, refined to perfection. (Now, if only it had a larger selection of maps!) 9.5/10 1. Fire Emblem might be my favorite game I played this year, but Persona 5 was far and away the best and most influential. Stunning visuals, Kick-Butt soundtrack, challenging but rewarding gameplay, awesome characters, phenomenal voice acting, and a great setting...just looking at the cover art nearly makes me want to start up another game! Persona 5 will go down in the list of my top tier games. I hope The Royal lives up to the OG. YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT COMING!!! 10/10. 3. Good superhero games are rare. Great ones are even rarer. Luckily, this one is great. It truly makes you feel like Spider-Man. With new and old characters alike, this is a solid, fun entry into Spider-Man's mythos. I hope they make a sequel...preferably one that's a launch title for the PS5. 9.5/10 3. This one's kind of a cheat since I haven't officially finished it yet...but it's worth being here. When I was playing this, all I could think of was "THIS IS WHO REY NEEDS TO BE!" But that's an aside. Fun, interesting gameplay, cool characters that gain depth as the story goes on, and a fascinating premise. I'm sure I'll be sad when the game ends, but I can't wait to beat it. 9/10 5. Solid gameplay, cool new characters, and a great blend of expanding the world and keeping things familiar. This game is the best Star Wars game in a LONG time, and while I don't really feel like the story is worth the price (a little too short for my liking, especially given how close the characters seem to bond over such a short amount of time. But that's Star Wars for you), but I definitely recommend picking it up. 8/10 Honorable Mentions: Disgaea 5. I enjoyed what I've played so far, but I haven't really gotten that far...maybe next year? Valkyria Chronicles 4. This one would have been higher on the list, and I might have even finished playing it HAD THE MISSIONS NOT BEEN RANKED. I'm not a perfectionist in real life, but I HATE when games have rankings and then reward you based on those rankings because I feel pressure to get the best ranking. It sucks and honestly takes my enjoyment away. Spending 2-3 hours doing a 30 minute mission isn't worth the stress. So I'll probably watch someone 100% the game online, and that'll be fine. Pokémon Shield. Maybe I'm a bad fan, but I'm enjoying the game so far. I like talking about it with my friends and roleplaying my way through the game. Is it hard? Not at all. Are the routes to short? Absolutely. And don't I feel like I'm on an adventure.** It's more of a...field trip. But I'm enjoying most of the new Pokémon and the Wild Area is pretty cool. This is a good game, which stinks because Pokémon played it safe while other major Nintendo franchises came to the switch big and bold. But maybe they'll try something new next time. The Outer Worlds. My brother-in-law got to the final level over Thanksgiving break. And then the game crashed and the save file was corrupted. So we have no idea what happened or how to fix it at the moment and won't get to try until Christmas. I'm mad at the game for him. *A good amount of the voice actors in Persona 5 are also in Three Houses! Morgana is Sothis; (Best Girl) Makoto is Rhea; Haru is (Best Girl) Marianne; and The Royal's new character Kasumi being Catherine. In the Japanese version, Lysithea and Futaba have the same V.A. ...so yeah, Persona Emblem; and special shoutout to Yusuke's VA Matt Mercer for voicing Chrom and then Ryoma AND Shigure in Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates. Not to mention that the colors of the houses resonate with the three latest main Persona games: Red for revolution and justice, Yellow/Golden for truth and bonds, and Blue for ideals (I think. I haven't played P3 but I've heard it matches with Azure Moon). Next you've got the crests relating to the Major Arcana in the Tarot. And a high school military academy that serves as the hub world and you have monthly missions on a calendar that takes up a school year...yeah...Personal Emblem. **As I'm slowly re-playing Silver and watching Chuggaaconroy's old Fire Red Let's Play, I'm realizing that previous games made it logistically troublesome (or straight up impossible) to return home for the first few badges. This idea of "you can't go home again/it's not worth the effort" made the regions feel larger as well as facilitate the feeling you're on an adventure. Sw/Sh, with the ability to travel back to any city you've already visiting accessible even before the first gym, doesn't have that.

If Sanderson can't work the title in as an in-world book, then it might have to change. That'd really stink though. Rhythm of War sounds so cool.

AWESOME NEWS! I was one of the "Stormlight 2021" people, and I'm so, SO happy to be proven wrong. State of the Sanderson is going to be so freaking great this year.

Interesting! They both have moxie and stand up for their belief's, you're right there. And great point about self-sufficiency. And your first point about how Shallan and Spensa are two completely different characters in similar situations is completely accurate. But, I still disagree on the instinct thing. Or at least innate instinct. Spensa isn't naturally good at light-lancing - her light-spear(?) that she uses to hunt rats runs on the same principles, so it was easy to carry over. Spensa was a good pilot, but forged herself into a great - dare I say Ace - pilot. I doubt Lift's lack of focus on training is because nobody would train her (if she asked any of Gawx's people, or Dalinar, I'm sure they'd accept). She simply doesn't like fighting and her spren doesn't like hurting people. So Lift and Spensa might both be action or movement oriented, but Lift is NOT violence oriented like Spensa is. Wouldn't the point about Legacy link Spensa far more to Shallan than it would Lift?

Okay, here's a crackpot ship: The Vessel of Cultivation and Kaladin (assuming Kaladin isn't related to Tanavast despite being called "Son of Tanavast" instead of "Son of Honor"). So at the end of Book 5, Cultivation somehow relinquishes her Shard as a trap for Odium - who falls for it - but the power is then taken by someone else (I really want Harmony to have it now), and Cultivation finds new love in Kaladin. ...yeah, this would never, ever, EVER happen. But it's fun to imagine.

Preserve the good in order to Cultivate it, while the other parts are Ruined/Destroyed. Yeah, Cultivation would be a great addition to Harmony.

I think it was in the Starsight Release section of the Arcanum, but Rysn will have an interlude every book of the first part. I don't want to assume the second part either. I hope so! And then Chiri-Chiri can grow big enough to ride, and we'll have dragon riders in Stormlight!

These theories are so optimistic! It's great! I honestly thought that they'd be a bad influence on Shallan, to the point where she and Adolin (who, granted, has some BIG issues of his own to work out), would take a "honeymoon" trip to find out about Sja-Anat and potentially have her defect.

Oh how do you see it? Because I can't at the moment and I'm far too curious. To me Lift is all instinct. She does what feels natural to her, and while Lift is very clever, she rarely uses it for gain. Spensa is all training. She has talent, sure (and cytonic abilities really do help), but Skyward drives home the fact that Spensa put her all into becoming a pilot. She worked hard to be the best, and was constantly challenging herself. I can't see Lift doing the same (yet). Lift runs from expectations and sees into the heart of people, whereas Spensa stands her ground to fight and is very bad at reading people (she's gotten better though). I see Lift more like Vin than I see Lift like Spensa.

...from who? Bridge 4 needs him as a leader and stabilizing force. Dalinar needs him as a Radiant. The rest of society might need him as a lighteyes, but probably more as a soldier. As others have mentioned, he has clerks (and some members of Bridge 4) to read any reports or mail he needs. His lands are far off and are not an immediate concern. And the social structures of the world are falling apart at the moment; with the return of Radiants being a lighteyes might not amount to much. (This is a problem I have with Kaladin x Jasnah political marriage, despite being a shipper of the two). Oathbringer makes it clear very early on that Kaladin looks for love. It was just lust or a companion, he wouldn't have passed up the ardent (IIRC) in the first part of the book. But Kaladin wants more. He needs more. He's not going to settle...or if he is, it'll be "for the greater good," ala Wax Landrian more than Dalinar's "I need to move on, and everyone gets what they want."

As of last night, I finished Jedi Fallen Order! Now it's back to Pokémon Shield! And then hopefully I'll FINALLY play Witcher 3.

And that's fair! Maul is always amazing though. I forgot to add that the PT adds balance to the world of Star Wars via worldbuilding. The OT is very mythic in nature and that's by intent. The PT is also (Virgin Birth, Chosen One, etc), but it relies far more on politics. It's not the best for the movies, but it does wonders for the franchise. The OT and PT balance each other pretty well.

I didn't know about this! Thanks for the update! This year's State of the Sanderson is gonna be full of fun stuff then, if we get an "official" announcement. Same! Maybe he'll end up mashing it with another idea he's had that hasn't worked and fix it someday...or at least get the Mizzy novel done...

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I felt the EXACT SAME WAY reading Starsight I recognize both characters being vastly different in their personalities, interests, and bonding, but the plot of the book was so similar to Shallan's plots in WoK and WoR, I couldn't help but make the comparison. It honestly dampened my enjoyment of Starsight, but I still really enjoyed the book. Interesting view! I would probably see the two of them as facets in a gem if I was to make a comparison. They can (or rather should) see aspects of themselves in each other - enough to sympathize and understand how they go to where the other was - but also learn what maybe NOT to do from each other. Shallan might find Spensa's bravado confusing at first because as much as that bravado is an act, it's still a part of Spensa. Spensa on the other hand would find Shallan's ability to become other people both useful (in the immediate sense as well as for escapism), but ultimately a roadblock to what she wants.

My belief is that the Night of Sorrows will be like an extended Weeping of sorts. The period where it rains without highstorms is called the Weeping, and I think Odium will wipe out highstorms in order to cut his enemy off from their power source. It'll start at the end of Book 5 and happen through Books 6 and maybe 7 (Lift and Renarin's books respectively). Why? Lift and Renarin are weird, and Sanderson made them weird for a reason. We know Lift doesn't need highstorms to function as a Radiant, and Renarin is just all kinds of odd but theoretically shouldn't either. So both of them could work to solve the problem of bringing highstorms - and by proxy Honor's Investiture - back to Roshar, if only for a little bit. It'd also have some nice parallels with The Girl Who Looked Up.

I guess I'm the middle ground? I liked Starsight and would rank it about a 7.8/10 or so. But Skyward was a 9/10 or higher for me. Both Jebus and Grey are right - Spensa's interactions with Skyward Flight are really the star of the show for the first book, and while Spensa carries over that theme and same set of skills to her new crew, it's just not the same. I'm not sure I'd say "don't read it," but, like Luke said in the TLJ trailers and movie, "This is NOT going to go the way you think." I guess I feel like we needed a book between Skyward and Starsight, or at least a novella. Or Skyward to be longer and end with Alanik arriving. I'm sure I'll enjoy it on a reread, but I'm not in a hurry to do so right now.

AMEN TO THIS! My own feelings: The PT isn't as bad as people remember it being, and I really like them. In TPM Jar Jar isn't as annoying as people remember him being, and the action, set pieces, and costumes are phenomenal. AOTC is the weakest of the three due to CGI not being at the level it needed to be for the movie, but still being used for EVERYWHERE and the love story. But the Obi-Wan's adventure and everything one Geonosis are amazing. ROTS is genuinely one of my favorite Star Wars movies. It's operatic, expansive, lore building, tragic, and fun at times. The PT has the best cartoons as well (Clone Wars & The Clone Wars are both great), both of which do a good job of fixing Anakin and adding new lore to the series (Asajj, the Mandalorians, Ahsoka, etc). And the games! The prequels have gotten the best games! Republic Commando, KOTOR (which IS prequel), Jedi Fallen Order (YMMV on this one). Does it live up to the OT? No, but nothing really will (I mean, maybe The Mandalorian and TCW, but even then...). So comparing them on that level isn't going to do anyone any good. I would consider myself a hard core Star Wars fan and I LOVE prequel memes. They're hilarious (if occasionally low-blow striking). They're jokes, and a fun way to turn something that was culturally criticized into something loved. Who cares if people start to love the PT because of the memes and the jokes - THEY'RE STARTING TO LOVE THE PT. That's a GREAT thing!

I am Commander Spensa, and this is my favorite shop on Starsight! Hyper advanced ship with a rogue A.I.? Ragtag crew of humans and other aliens? Specialist with a rare, dangerous ability that needs to be controlled? Has a personal (ish) connection to the eldritch abominations that are the antagonists? ...these comparisons are making me like Starsight and other future books more than I already do!

This is pretty much how I felt too. I really enjoyed Starsight and like the transition from Sci-Fi to Space Opera, but I found myself missing the previous cast more and more as the book went on (the first person POV and 3-4 Jorgen interludes became a constraint, and will continue to be so to the scope of the story as we keep exploring more of this universe). Weirdly enough, the spy angle, while it worked for me, was too reminiscent of Shallan in WoK and WoR for me to really enjoy it (...Skward's really nailing that Storm-lite theme huh ). The themes were great, and the new characters were fun, but for most of the book I had this nagging feeling that Sanderson had already done this before, and it left me a tad disappointed.

Killing on Woken Tears (since WoK is really tWoK)...but I guess in a Ketek, indefinite articles don't really count... Knights of Worlds Torn Knights of Wept Tears ...Knot of Woes and Knife of Winds are still the best. I like your direction! But would Sanderson use "Word" in another book title after WoR?

I'll also miss Stones Unhallowed, but this has been something we've seen coming since Rhythm of War was announced as the title. As for the Book 5 title...Killers of White? Maybe something to reference the Shin Invasions? King of Wisdom and Knot of Woes are pretty awesome!