Map by Isaac Stewart

Stormlight Archive book 4, where we can expect to see Hoid front and center, and where Coca-Cola comes from… Audible hosted a live chat with author Brandon Sanderson on Thursday, February 4, and we’ve assembled his answers about Mistborn, Stormlight, The Reckoners, and more below!

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Mistborn

Did Trell ever have any pre-Ascension Terris worshippers?

Yes.

Did any of Tindwyl’s daughter’s survive the Catacendre?Did Sazed ever meet any of them, after his Ascension?

Yes. And RAFO. :)

Just to be sure. Wax is wrong, and jumped on conclusions about how Excisors work. Right?

He did jump to some conclusions. Whether he’s right or not will have to wait for future books.

Did Elend or Vin ever consider parenthood, or was that never a priority for them?

Not a priority at all, considering their situation. Neither really gave it much thought.

Is there are metal that can grant Feruchemy, a la lerasium/Allomancy?

Another RAFO. (Sorry.)

Is the metal on Scadrial specially invested? Can an Allomancer use metals from other planets?

Metal is a key, not the source of power itself. Most is not specially invested. It glows because of the power seeking to come through it, not because of the power within it.

Was Atium truly one of the 16 metals, or can it be used by anyone just like Lerasium?

Atium has some screwy things going on. It’s not one of the 16, but not just anybody could use it.

If Kelsier had visited Roshar, what spren would have been attracted to his character?

Gloryspren because he pretty much always feels like he’s done something awesome. :)

Will there be a sequal to Mistborn: Secret History?

Yes, I plan a sequence of these.

If someone was tapping gold, would spiking a separate ability out of them kill them? Or would it work at all?

It IS possible to spike someone without killing them. But they’d never be the same. It would be worse than being a drab.

Is it known to most people in Elendel that Ranette has a girlfriend? Or are they hiding?

They don’t need to hide in particular in Elendel.

Elantris

What inspired you to write about immortality in Elantris?

Honestly, it was zombie stories. I wondered what it would actually feel like.

Is “Galladon” Galladon’s true name?

It is his birth name, if that’s what you’re asking.

I had this crazy idea about people need to have an Aon in the name to be chosen by the Shaod and Galladon hasn’t it.

Ah, that’s an excellent guess. But no, that isn’t the case. It’s more about Connection.

Steelheart / The Reckoners

Can you tell us anything about Night’s Sorrow?

Almost nobody has ever seen Night’s Sorrow.

Can you tell us the name of factory from which Tia gets her Cola pouches? And perhaps the city?

Factory is one that doesn’t exist in our world, but I believe I have it in Chattanooga.

Will you ever do any more in the Reckoners world after CALAMITY?

Ask me this again after you’ve read Calamity, and I might have more info I can give.

I know they are not a part of the Cosmere, but does the Reckonersverse follow the rules of Realmatic theory?

No. Instead, it follows quantum multiverse theory.

The Wheel of Time

Why did Mat never meet up with the Band again?

RJ’s notes had them going on separate paths, specifically because he wanted Mat to go to Seanchan. But after events of AMoL, you can assume he dropped in to check on them.

Are there any characters that were particularly difficult for you to work with?

Cadsuane from the WoT was the one that comes to mind.

The Stormlight Archive

Can you give us an Oath that hasn’t been revealed in the story yet?

No. You’ll have to wait for the stories to get those.

Epigraphs in Mistborn & Stormlight: did you wrote them before, during or after writing the rest of the book?

Almost always after the book is done, with notes before certain chapters of what to include above that one.

If a large group of windrunners lashed enough mass towards a single point, could they create a black hole?

Offhand, I think that would be theoretically possible, though in practicality impossible. We’d need Peter Ahlstrom to do some math.

Can you tell us who wrote the words on the back cover of Way of Kings?

Not yet, but it will come out before too much longer.

Who provoked the confrontation, Tanavast or Rayse?

RAFO.

In Stormlight Archives what inspired u to come up with the idea of bridges & how they carry it across chasms?

I wanted a form of siege warfare that was different from anything that readers had seen before, but had the same despair to it.

Which of your characters required the most research beforehand in order to write?

Kaladin took some research into field medicine and depression. He probably took the most.

Are either the blue-skinned Natans or blue-veined Babatharnams human-Aimian hybrids?

Yes.

Who’s the flashback character for Book 4?

I’m planning it to be Eshonai.

The Cosmere

A being with a lot of Investiture worldhops, then dies. What happens to the Investiture that was part of them?

Most likely, it returns to the Spiritual Realm, where all places are one, and where you were is irrelevant.

What are the chances we can see a Wayne / Lift crossover short story? :)

Not terribly good at the moment. :)

Hoid has never drawn his sword on Roshar, which looks similar to Nightblood. Is Hoid’s sword also Awakened?

That is a RAFO, I’m afraid!

Will you ever do a crossover novel with different characters/worlds?

Yes, I will. The final Mistborn books will have this. There’s already some in novellas like Secret History and Sixth of the Dusk.

Have you considered writing a book explaining the Cosmere and world building?

Some day, we will probably do this. But I want more of the different worlds fleshed out first.

Any chance we can get a new Shard named?

No, I’m afraid. I’ve got WAY too much longer to be writing this all to give that away now.

Could a sentient invested object take up a shard?

Highly unlikely, probably impossible–but impossibility is hard to judge.

Will we get a star chart for the whole Cosmere sometime soon?

The Cosmere short fiction collection, which we hope to release in the fall, should have one.

Hoid, Wayne, Kelsier and Wax are playing cards. How many aces are there?

Only Wayne and Hoid are likely to cheat, and they’d be in cahoots.

Is Edgli going to make an appearance (or be mentioned in) another book? I want to know more about Edgli!

Yes, this will be answered eventually.

How well does Khriss know Hoid?

Depends on which book you’re referencing. By the W&W era, they’ve known each other for a long, loooong time.

Could you Awaken an Honorblade?

It would take a Looooooot of power. (A near impossible amount.)

Regarding the Ire: did they set out into the Cosmere pre- or post-Reod?

RAFO! :)

Is there a plan for a book focusing on Hoid or will he always remain an enigma?

The final Mistborn sequence will have him as a main character, as will the Dragonsteel prequel novels.

Did Nazh fall in with Khriss before or after the Forests of Hell were colonized by Patience’s people?

RAFO. (Sorry. I am toying with a book on Threnody, and don’t want to lock myself into anything yet.)

Has one world’s magic systems been used in battles/wars on another worlds? Such as Allomancy used on Roshar?

Not in anything large scale.

Alcatraz

Why isn’t Alcatraz part of the Cosmere? The lenses seem like they could be investiture-related.

I didn’t want Alcatraz to have to follow Cosmere continuity and rules. Yes, the magic could work in the Cosmere.

Brandon-verse

Any updates on movie/tv/video game adaptions?

Nothing big. Steelheart has a script. It’s the only one so far to hit that stage.

Do you always know the ending of the stories when you begin them?

Almost always. I’m a planner. Once in a while, I do a short story where I don’t. Even that is rare, though.