Argent

Right, so I finished Blood Song about a week ago. My review is on Goodreads, I'll just link to it instead of typing it again. Moved on to Brent Weeks' The Black Prism. About a couple of hundred pages into it, but it looks like it's going to be very good - easy and light to read, interesting and compelling characters (though I have a very vague suspicion they may have been developed with the "cool" notch turned up a little), good storytelling, and a beautiful magic system. I swear, I probably have a fantasy fetish or something, but magic systems win me over like nothing else. It's no wonder Brandon won me so quickly and thoroughly. Back to Brent Weeks though - it's called chromaturgy - you can read about it on Wikipedia, it looks pretty spoiler-free, but I only skimmed over it.

I was going to create this topic... Will be going to Skokie though.

I thought Shallan's Memories were confirmed to be independent from her Lightweaving?

Fabrials could be pure science, it's not necessary for them to be a magic system of their own. I've been in both camps for this argument (on one side we have Surgebinding - Honor, fabrials - Cultivation, Voidbinding - Odium, and on the other - fabrials are not tied to a specific system, they are just machines; though in the latter case you could argue that they are kind of like Hemalurgic spikes, and they get their own system, so...). Just sayin'

I see that there might be words there (like my Pi T-Shirt), but I can't actually read them, image's too small...

Huh. I guess Taln makes a lot of sense, but this sounds like an epigraph to me. It sounds like a (piece of a) poem. @Duskshard, you posted more or less my exact thoughts within less than 5 seconds of my own post. We must now become blood brothers.

The Memories of Light was, unless I am mistaken, the first time Tor has done something like this (daily snippet previews of a highly anticipated book), and the response must've been appropriately good so they decided to do the same with Words of Radiance. I expect them to continue doing the same thing all the way throughout The Stormlight Archive. And probably Dragonsteel (was that the seven-book series?). I doubt we'll see them for things like Mistborn, though it's more likely to happen as the series gathers momentum and number of volumes. The way I see it, Brandon is (one of?) Tor's biggest goldmine, so hyping people up for upcoming releases is a good marketing campaign.

I too don't get Glimpses. I've emailed Tor about it, we'll see if it gets me anywhere. Until then, please post the full text here so we, the cursed ones, can bask in them too.

May that kid find shelter in the Creator's hand. Stormfather, watch over his soul. Dismemberment by frenzied Sanderfans (Fandersons also sounds nicely) is not how I would like to go...

You know, I was a happier man not been consciously aware that Kvothe, being Kote and all, is no longer there for her.

The Grand Hegemon?

I read the title as "Monster Blood Taco." I am now disappointed

So, Alice Arneson just asked to be the most hated person on Earth. A request cleverly disguised as a non-spoiler review of Words of Radiance. Indulge yourselves, if that's your thing. Heh.

Which finally got me to donate...

Sharp swords and sharp girls are good things to like - much preferred over their dull versions, at least. Humor for a moment, though. Three posts posts, and I am already confused about your forum habits - you misspelled Limelleth's name in your first reply, then instead of editing it, you double posted, and edited the second reply with the correct spelling. Why not edit the first one to begin with?

You could still try doing fairy tales in modern day Earth, but avoid making them dependent on the "real" fairy tales' setting - it's not entirely original, but I haven't seen it done. So your fairy tale characters would be actual, real people from Earth, and their lives would resemble the original fairy tales in some way (Talia could have a sleeping disorder or be an epileptic, for example). Or were you looking just for a magic system? I am not a writer (aspiring or otherwise), but from what I've read and listened to, it seems that it could be a bad idea to try to force a worldbuilding element as large as a magic system down the throat of a book that didn't have it before...

I like the black-on-white wallpaper, it's pwetty.

It would be interesting if we don't get closure - the war is still going on, after all. Maybe (most of) the Chandrian are still kicking. Maybe Heliax is still imprisoned - or worse, free to roam the world. But honestly, I doubt Rothfuss - or anyone - can pull it off in a way that doesn't break his promise to the readers. Everything you read between Kote's lines screams that he is going to turn into Kvothe again and kick some major butt. I would be unhappy with the conclusion of the series if he doesn't at least start on that path. It would be original, yes. But it would also be massively dissatisfying.

Can Surgebinders draw Stormlight from a larkin that has "fed" recently? What happens to the (recently absorbed) Stormlight when the larkin that "ate" it dies?

I liked the game a lot. The gameplay was nothing too exciting, but I don't think that was the goal - in fact, I've recommended Bioshock: Infinite to a few of my friends, and I told every one of them to play the game on the easiest difficulty, so they can spend less time bothering with gameplay, and more with characters, environment, and story. Oh, but there is so much to tell... Let's condense it a little. Elizabeth Elizabeth was, of course, positively wonderful. Even without her pushing all my "save the damsel in distress" buttons - and let me tell you, she pushed all of them - Elizabeth was an interesting character. Intelligent, skilled, feminine, independent - but obviously sheltered and, if not innocent, then at least naive in some ways. I think Bioware did a pretty solid job at showing her different sides. Towards the end, when you lose some time and Elizabeth gets captured, I very quickly acquired a "f@#k it, let me get to her in time to save her, even if it kills me" kind of attitude. Story I was very very confused for a lot of the game. The whole idea about... going to some place to get a girl I know nothing about in order to settle gambling debts that are not mentioned in any other context? It felt weird. I knew I wasn't getting the whole story, but I thought that was Bioware being all clever, deciding to show the story rather than tell it. The twins were not helping either. Environment Colombia was pretty amazing. It also screamed "dystopian utopia" from the get go. It was creepy how ideal things seemed. I think the scene where you choose whom to throw the lottery ball #77 at was done spectacularly - one moment you are in this perfect world (that you've been in for a little while - not enough to get used to it, but enough to get an idea how wonderfully peaceful it is), and the next you are mashing some guy's face with a hand-blender. Multiverse I can honestly say, I lost track of the universes at one point. I was okay pretty much all the way until the Big Reveal. Then, with the number of possible paths doubling, I lost track. I had to Internet it. Still, it's rare for a game to go down this route - and I must admit, I liked it when my brain hurt. Ending Boy, did this blow me to outer space. This video came to mind. I too was not happy with the explanation that Booker's death could somehow eliminate Comstock from the equation (though I can kind of maybe a little bit rationalize it), but honestly - I don't care. The drowning was still powerful. The realization that Booker and Comstock are (pretty much) the same person was... enlightening. I remember the scene when you kill Comstock, how he taunts you to tell Elizabeth what happened to her finger - and Booker legitimately has no idea, and Comstock is confused about why Booker is confused (because he obviously knows, and believes Booker should know/remember too), and Elizabeth is confused about how Booker could know anything about why her finger is missing... I remember thinking that Booker was hiding something big. The idea that he just built over those memories, it never crossed my mind. That's probably the first thing I thought of when Elizabeth went all Morpheus. Then I thought about those battle reenactments in the theater (Wounded Knee and the other one), before you get the Shock Jockey, where what's-his-face complains about how it was you, Booker, who performed all those feats of strength, and then Comstock just stole your glory - except he didn't, because it was you all along! That was kind of awesome. And so on... Bottom line, I liked the game. It was worth it.

No, no real difference. Just adds a tiny bit of coolness factor. Think I'll ask whether the Spiritual Realm has a name (in some language) similar to how Shadesmar is a loose translation of "cognitive realm" in the language of whoever coined the term.

@Peter, do you know if Brandon will be personalizing the Weller copies beyond just the name? As in, could I ask for an answer of a question related to his works, similarly to how I could if I ordered a personalized book from the site's store?

Weller Book Works is now accepting requests for signed & number copies of Words of Radiance. According to the email I received: A maximum of two copies may be ordered per customer. The price is $23.19 per copy plus tax and/or shipping if applicable. That's 20% off the cover price of $28.99. All shipping is via USPS Priority Mail. Because of the large size of Words of Radiance, we cannot securely ship it in a padded envelope, so all books will be shipped in a medium box. Shipping prices are as follows:US Domestic box - $13.00 Canada Priority Mail box - $ 42.00 All other international Priority Mail box - $62.00 Orders will be purchased with Paypal only. All orders must be placed via e-mail by e-mailing [email protected] (subject line: Words of Radiance orders). When you order, please let us know how you would like your copy personalized. Tell us "signature only" if you just want it signed and numbered. If you would like it signed to you or to a friend, say, e.g., "Sign it 'to John.'" If you have a PayPal account, please include your PayPal email in your order so that we can invoice you. Please include your shipping address when ordering. This promotion is limited to 500 copies of Words of Radiance, and all orders must be received and paid for by February 15, 2014. This is one of the rare occasions I am truly happy to live in the US. $62, or even $42 for shipping is a little more than what I am comfortable paying for a number and a signature (the latter of which I can get on a signing a couple of weeks after the release). Also, the fact that the book is too big to fit in a padded envelope and has to go in a medium box is pretty wonderful too.

The hardcover is a piece of artwork by itself.

For those interested in this: all three parts of the audiobook are now out, and two of them even sport some snazzy "cover" art. Mistborn: The Final Empire (1/3) Mistborn: The Final Empire (2/3) (snazzy Inquisitor / Marsh?) Mistborn: The Final Empire (3/3) (snazzy Kelsier) Time to make with the buying!