PhilV

As promised, the list of Brandon-related acronyms, with wiki links where appropriate. Spoilers avoided in this list, but not in the links. Suggestions welcome! AoL - (The) Alloy of Law, standalone Mistborn novella AMoL - A Memory of Light, 14th and final book of The Wheel of Time BWS - Brandon Winn Sanderson, epic fantasy author extraordinaire HoA - (The) Hero of Ages, 3rd book of the Mistborn trilogy KR - Knights Radiant, ancient military order on Roshar, the world of The Stormlight Archive MAG - The Mistborn Adventure Game, a role-playing game set in the Final Empire, published by Crafty Games TES - The Emperor's Soul, standalone novella set on the same planet as Elantris (Sel) TFE - The Final Empire, 1st book of the Mistborn trilogy TGS - The Gathering Storm, 12th book of The Wheel of Time ToM - Towers of Midnight, 13th book of The Wheel of Time TLR - The Lord Ruler, despot of the Final Empire TWoK - The Way of Kings, 1st book of The Stormlight Archive WoA - (The) Well of Ascension, 2nd book of the Mistborn trilogy WoB - Word of Brandon, definitive confirmation or refutation of a theory from the source (see also) WoR - Words of Radiance, upcoming 2nd book of The Stormlight Archive WoT - (The) Wheel of Time, epic fantasy series by Robert Jordan, completed by Brandon Sanderson edited 4/23/13 to add "WoB" edited 4/25/13 to add "MAG"

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/04/way-of-kings-spren-catalogue This reminded me of the intriguing and baffling Cusicesh the Protector. Some really nice visualizations of different types of spren in the article.

I didn't actually come up with that many acronyms (mostly just book titles) that I think are mostly self-explanatory. I can still post the list, I might have missed some.

Yeah, I was mostly thinking of Brandon- or Cosmere-related acronyms. Books titles as well as other terms like TLR. Most of them should be obvious, unless they're not :] As for frequently proposed theories: I suppose I haven't lurked enough to know how often people come in and say, "hey, I've got this great theory," only to be reponded to with "yep, we talked about that a few years ago, see this thread..."

In addition to FAQs, how about including acronyms/abbreviations, as well as Frequently Proposed Theories? (FPTs)

I started reading The Wheel of Time several years ago, and got all the way through Lord of Chaos (reading back-to-back) before I burned out and needed a break. After a long enough time away from the series, I didn't think I would ever return to finish it, but I still paid some attention as books came out. So I must have read that Brandon had been picked to complete the series, but I had never heard of him before then. Some time after that, I was browsing in Borders and the cover of The Way of Kings caught my eye (score one for Michael Whelan). I'm a sucker for doorstoppers (Neal Stephenson is another all-time favorite), and if you throw in a map, I'm sold. I didn't buy the book just then, but downloaded a preview to see what it was like first. I generally love books with a high learning curve, so the Prelude didn't throw me off, and just whetted my appetite. By the time I was done with the Prologue, I was read to dive into this world. I bought the paperback, devoured it, and loved every minute of it. Soon after, or maybe during that time, I started reading about Brandon's other books, doubting whether I would be interested in them. But the more I read about the interconnections and the backdrop of the Cosmere, the more intrigued I became. Before long, I knew I would have to read everything set in this universe. Next came Mistborn, then Elantris, Alloy of Law, Legion, Warbreaker, and The Emperor's Soul. I've loved each one, but the pinnacle in my mind is still The Way of Kings. I'm (re)reading along with the Tor Re-read, and loving it all over again. (I've since bought the hardcover, and the Kindle edition when it went on sale.) A nice side-effect of discovering Brandon has been re-starting The Wheel of Time and actually deciding to finishing it this time! I've lurked on these boards a little, and now that I'm caught up on the Cosmere books, I'm looking forward to following the discussions more closely, especially as details come out about Words of Radiance.

Hello! Part-time lurker here, decided to make myself official and register. I've been a Brandon fan since I read The Way of Kings in late 2011. That book was impressive enough, but when I read about the interconnections between his books and the whole Cosmere, my mind was blown and I proceeded to devour the rest of his work. I'm now following the Tor re-read of TWoK and anxiously anticipating the release of Words of Radiance!