Argent

Boy, did you come to the wrong place to treat your obsession...

*sigh* I feel it's impossible to talk about Shallan these days without the conversation turning to who likes her and who doesn't. She might be a polarizing character (though I personally fail to see how anyone can dislike her), but do we need to derail every other thread about her?

I'm afraid I am voting No on this one. When I look for T-shirts, I (usually) try to choose ones that are significant, or at least interesting, or both people who know the reference and people who don't. It's one of the reasons I don't own any of Brandon's apparel - they are awesome, but they are also very much for the people in the know. But I'll agree with you, if you are a fan of the series, the line is a good hook.

I mean, you could... It wouldn't even be that weird I too haven't heard George Martin talk about Brandon, but if he truly said that, it's high praise. The tattoo from the photo @Yata posted looks great too, by the way. It just adds to the large list of great things Italian women can be known for...

Some WoBs from Reddit:

Yeah, I figured it was because of the split. I don't think it changes anything in the long run - I will still preorder and devour the next one, and I will still recommend the series to anyone who is not tired of listening to me. But I have to acknowledge, at least to myself, that it (probably) could've been handled more gracefully. In theory. In practice there are things like deadlines...

One thing I am not entirely happy about was the ending. Both Teia's and Kip's final chapters ended... off. Their stories were wrapped up, but not in a way I felt was fitting for end-of-book wrap-up. I didn't feel the finality there, not in the way I did with Karris and Gavin. I was also unhappy with Liv's development, it felt rushed, and I am not sure the direction she went towards the end could've been justified without a few more chapters to show how she got there. Now that I think about it, it's odd how much I loved reading the book, but how many tiny details I can recall that I didn't like. I am going to need to make sure I curate my reviews a little better, make sure I don't convey negativity when I don't mean to.

Finished The Blood Mirror last night. Great book. Sometimes makes me think about the differences in the writing styles of Brent and Brandon - Brent is, for example, more prone to long speeches. I do feel that a certain major twist was a bit of a cheap shot, but I think it's done well enough that I can accept it. But on the upside most of the characters felt just great. I think I need to go back to my Warcraft books now.

If I recall correctly, the whole started some years back when Brandon was touring for... some book of his. I don't remember which one. But for several cities in a row, he would go to bookstores Scalzi had visited before him just days ago.

Plus, imagine how much more opportunities we'll have to inform the people around us, in the movie theater, about how the movie is different. So much knowledge we could spread.

Funny, I'll be in London for work too, but the previous week.

In my experience this is massively untrue. I've been commuting to either school or work for close to 10 years now, so I have a good grasp of what commuters read - and I've noticed a very significant increase in people reading A Song of Ice and Fire every since the show came out. So when I say that the show has helped the books do better, I speak from a position where I have access to a decently large data set. Anecdotal evidence, yes, but a large volume of it. So for that factor alone, I would like to see Cosmere movies done.

I don't think that's fair of you to say. Not at all. First, it makes it sound like you better than Brandon what would and wouldn't work for his universe. To assume that the people he is entrusting the Cosmere to (people he describes as "fans" by the way) will do a terrible job show either arrogance or lack of faith. Moreover, Brandon is not some third-rate author who would jump on the first lucrative movie deal that reared its head. He is doing very well financially, and his passion for (good) writing will keep him in this spot for a long time. Which means that unless you are accusing him of blind greed, he has had time to choose people he believes will at least attempt to honor his work. Furthermore, you are making a very big claim about all those cinematic adaptations - that they were ruined. You are obviously unhappy with all of them, but that is simply not the case for a lot of people. Both Game of Thrones and Harry Potter are well received in their respective (book) fandoms. Yes, there are people who are dissatisfied (and yes, there are things I don't like as well), but I maintain that adaptations are judged too harshly; they are adaptations after all, not carbon copies, some things have to be different. So. You are obviously entitled to your own opinion, but I ask you to at least not generalize it and present it as an objective truth. Furthermore, I encourage you (though this one is entirely up to you) to rethink your stance this particular deal and consider what Brandon's position on it implies.

Honestly, it's just as fair to say that there are scenes that are not cinematic. Even a conversation scene can be visually exciting because of how different Roshar is.

That's fair. From this standpoint, I doubt any of us (here, in this community) will be entirely satisfied with any Cosmere movie, regardless of budget, writers, or actors. It's just not feasible to translate everything from page to screen, things will be left out. Best to be ready and not expect everything.

I don't think you can argue with either the success of the movies (and books) or their impact on the public perception of the genre. That alone should be atonement enough, I think.

Sir, please refrain yourself from summoning C'thulhu. The Master so hates it when mortals disturb him without actual new Sanderson releases.

I think it's worrisome that we all seem to have mixed feelings about this. I trust Brandon very much, and if he is comfortable with these people, then so am I (which is how I feel about the Kingkiller option, by the way), but I think there are some red (or at least orange) flags. Saw is not exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but looking at what DMG has been involved with (Iron Man 3, Looper, Transcendence), they seem to pick up projects with strong (or at least defining) characters, complex plots, and unique worldbuilding. So from this angle, the Cosmere is in good hands, I think. But then I look at Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and their filmography which includes almost entirely horror and slashers, and I am more scared about the fate of The Way of Kings than any of their movies can possibly make me. All this being said, Brandon and Joshua are both there as executive producers, so maybe they have more than minimal sway. Plus, it's still just an option (though there's some big money here, so I doubt DMG will just let it go). I'd be curious to hear Brandon talk about this.

I think I'll hold off on reading that anyway

I finished the Cycle of Hatred by Keith R.A. DeCandido (yet another Warcraft book) just in time to start working on Brent Weeks' latest Lightbringer installment, The Blood Mirror. I've been looking forward to it.

I think this conversation would derail our already derailed topic

I would prefer a new one. But I would also prefer it to be created and managed (though Discord maintenance and management is pretty light) by admins, moderators, or someone they elect.

I've been thinking about this. IRC, while functional, is a really dated technology (and so are forums, to be honest, but I don't know of another platform that can support the kind of community we have here), so I am actually very much in favor of migrating the chat over to Discord. Fully migrating it. It's not something I will push for, as I don't hang out in the IRC channel either, but if we had a Discord server, I could at least leave it in the background and share cool stuff there occasionally.

Now just wait 10 years or so

Planned for (early) December. Price and physical appearance (i.e. quality, size, and content) should be similar to Elantris. I recall something about this one actually being better, but I don't remember in what aspect.