EC11

What I meant here was that I figured that Honor would by force of his shards intent, compel Odium to be bound to an agreement. Odium, though his intent is hatred, might be then compelled by the force of Honor's intent to accept. Then when he is bound by an agreement he has to follow it. Though what has me stumped is when Honor mentions a champion, and that there are rules that all of them must follow. In that sense I also figured that there would be something (perhaps the fact that all the shards are originally from one place) that would compel all the Shards to work together on an issue or be bound by an agreement.

Bears and all You could always ask how we enforce traffic laws on them Moose are some of the most temperamental animals in the world, worst to hit with a car next to a rhino.

Okay so I've been thinking recently, we know that the agreements made by gods are things that mere mortals have difficulty understanding (see Sazed's reference to Leras and Ati's pact about creating and destroying the world). We also know that Odium and Honor came to an agreement of some kind, one where each of them is bound by specific rules. That means that there is something which governs interactions between the gods of the Cosmere. So my specific thinking is this, Odium and Honor had an agreement regarding something martial (as evidenced by Honor's reference to a champion) and it clearly had something to do with the Desolations. I also think that the Heralds torture between Desolations was apart of that. Then the Heralds breaking their oath was something which fractured the pact between Odium and Honor, which may have freed Odium from whatever rules were governing their interactions, which in turn allowed him to kill Honor. My personal theory is that a Shard's power is what would force these agreements to matter, or at least a Shard's intent would have to be bent to it. Does this make sense? Any thoughts?

Seeing as the thread has been necroed already I shall weigh in I personally think that's Szeth's religion and his beliefs about his soul stemming from that are what keeps him bound to the stone. It is his last connection to his homeland and people so he may just not be physically able to bring himself to break that. I also think that the Shin are not quite so peaceful as they would have us believe, sure their warriors are slaves, but whose to say they don't have some hidden assassin class to solve conflicts before they start? I personally think Szeth had the shardblade inflicted upon him as a punishment alongside his exile. As to the Desolations, I think they probably didn't come at regular intervals, some closer to others, some farther apart. Odium was probably out world hoping and shard killing in between them.

Actually it depends on how far north you are I have a friend who lived up near Churchill Manitoba and she had to carry bear spray when she walked the street lest a polar bear wander into town.

A warm welcome to you too aheerema! Thank you! I too am hoping to get all caught up with the various theories of the Cosmere and the amazing hidden epic we've gotten such tantalizing glimpses of!

(1) Ah but here we get to the differing perspectives that authors have of both the world in general, and how to tell a story. Martin is most assuredly not what we would call a G rated author. He is of the personal opinion that the real world can be brutal and nasty just like it can be full of love and hope. If you will pardon the expression I think he believes in not 'bullshitting' a reader. How accurate that is depends on the reader of course. His own opinion is that he is detracting from the story to not show the nitty gritty of all the details people might not want to see. It's just his view and style. (2) Dany is in her heart and actions a well meaning person, she tries to do good and do just acts (though let's be honest, the idea of justice is very different in a medieval setting from our modern one) but her good acts may not necessarily have the best outcomes, and since she is essentially a very young child with the mantle of leadership thrust upon her, she is of course prone to some fairly hideous mistakes and lapses in judgement. It's just like Robb Stark, he tries to do what is honorable, but due to both his lack of political experience and his youth he makes many 'good' choices, which are ultimately the wrong choices in terms of realpolitik and practicality. The only character who I would say is ultimately a 'Good' in the series is Bran Stark, who has so far not made any nebulous moral decisions. Jon Snow is a close second since many of his morally dubious actions are thrust upon him my authority and circumstance.

Shallan hands down red heads are my absolute favorite and her combination of smarts and snarky attitude just rubs me the right way! It would probably end horribly after I get accidentally killed by the Ghostbloods though

Surprisingly my idea doesn't involve killing people I would however use it to basically set up my own little enclave after buying it out (probably a nice big island, or you know just make my own) and set up my own little country to rule as I pleased and write/read in peace save for sorting out disputes.

Glad I'm not the only one excited for the next round of Mistborn novels I'm just glad we get more Wax and Wayne, the Sherlock Holmes/Lone Ranger combo of the Mistborn world! Quite honestly the idea of a magical Western has always been something I've been interested in and this has just tickled my interest ever since I saw it.

Thank you and don't worry to much, you seem to subscribe to at least two theories that I agree with, though you have some I'm not yet aware of too so many theories, so little time.

Problem is that would ruin all the mystery and careful plotting Martin is trying to set up by leaving things intentionally vague or unclear, much like Brandon does Now don't get me wrong, I agree some of the sex scenes are over the top (and some of the gratuitous rape and torture references as well, and ADWD had two scenes that really irked me for the sheer grotesqueness of them, but even I admitted they were necessary as world building and characterization purposes) but I personally think he has a point when saying they are necessary in describing the human condition. He is also an author who subscribes heavily to the 'show don't tell' side of writing, and if a character has traits that can only be shown then by God he will show them to you. I personally love both Sanderson and Martin, and I love them for different reasons. I love Martin because he is a master of characterization and his world is fascinating and unique, not to mention his grasp of politics and Machiavellian schemes is second to none. I love Sanderson because he builds fabulous worlds and populates them with both interesting characters and amazing magic systems. The two serve cross purposes for me. Martin reminds me of the gritty dirty nasty reality of the world and how humans can be bastards (but also well meaning and ultimately good doing ones as well, see Dany, Jon, Tyrion, and Robb) while Sanderson shows people who are ultimately good at heart who face other misguided people, and on some occassions outright monsters, (Straff, Ruin, or Mr. Suit anyone?). I read Sanderson as escapist fiction mostly, while I read Martin as a brain bending and sometimes frustrating thriller series which keeps me guessing around every corner. Brandon does the same thing, but in different ways. It all comes down to how a different author wants to portray something and how he wishes to go about accomplishing it. Simple as that I think. But that's just my opinion

I've only read the Sailing to Sarantium and its sequel arc, but I loved them! They are a bit crude at times but to me this only enhances the characters and the world they are in! It's brilliant how he captures the feel of the Byzantine period and seamlessly meshes both the third person and omnipotent narrators together. I would highly recommend him too.

It's on my 'to read' list right now. I have to re-read A Feast For Crows and A Dance with Dragons before it though. I've heard so many good things about them that I really can't not read them. The problem for me is that since I got back to school my reading list has grown rather than shortened

Has anyone here read Shogun? Or any of the other Asian Saga novels by Clavell? I'm currently working my way through Shogun after having done a long search for what looked like good samurai fiction. I'm so far not disappointed by it, but it is difficult to adjust to at times due to there being no obvious breaks from when the character focus shifts from one person to another. I personally enjoy the novel and simply wondered if anyone else had read it.

Hi, I'm a new (as in the last year) Brandon Sanderson fan from Canada and I stumbled upon this site after reading about the expanded Cosmere and working my way through WoK and finally (after over 10 years of waiting) finishing the Wheel of Time series. I'm hoping to contribute to this site and the wiki in my spare time. I also hope to devour Stormlight 2 and join in the rampant speculation as soon as it comes out