Brandon Sanderson wrote 4 different endings for Wind and Truth, confirms main characters for Stormlight books 6-10

Brandon Sanderson wrote 4 different endings for Wind and Truth, confirms main characters for Stormlight books 6-10

As a devoted fan of Brandon Sanderson’s extraordinary works, I eagerly devour every morsel of information that trickles down from the grandmaster himself. The latest revelations about “The Stormlight Archive” have sent my heart racing like a Shardblade through the wind.

This week brings the arrival of “Wind and Truth,” the much-anticipated fifth installment in Brandon Sanderson’s sprawling epic fantasy series, “The Stormlight Archive.” Every Sanderson novel deserves recognition, but this particular one stands out even among his exceptional works. The “Stormlight Archive” is an expansive fantasy series that serves as the core of Sanderson’s interconnected fictional cosmos, the Cosmere. With a planned total of 10 books, “Wind and Truth” signifies a significant milestone as it concludes the first story arc of the series. Following this release, Sanderson will be taking a six-year break from working on “The Stormlight Archive,” indicating that we can expect some significant resolutions in “Wind and Truth.

From a recent interview with Esquire, we’ve learned the specific number of years Sanderson will be absent due to his discussion about the future of the Cosmere and other topics. In this interview, Sanderson expressed some concern over fan reactions to his fifth Stormlight Archive novel, as it appears to incorporate elements from the broader Cosmere in greater depth. Furthermore, he mentioned that he penned multiple conclusions for Wind and Truth to ensure a satisfying conclusion.

Brandon Sanderson shared that he tested out three distinct conclusions using separate alpha and beta reader groups to gauge their reactions. To his surprise, he opted for an ending that wasn’t one of the initial three. It became apparent that what he required was a blend of elements from each ending, and he couldn’t discern this solution until he received feedback.

Based on Adam Morgan’s reading of “Wind and Truth,” as reported by Esquire, Sanderson delivers some of the most significant writing efforts in his career throughout the last 200 pages of the book. Consequently, it seems reasonable that he would invest extra effort to perfect those concluding sections.

Brandon Sanderson wrote 4 different endings for Wind and Truth, confirms main characters for Stormlight books 6-10

Brandon Sanderson talks about what’s next for the Cosmere

Brandon Sanderson has been quite transparent about his intentions to step away from “The Stormlight Archive” following the release of “Wind and Truth”; he initially disclosed this in December 2023, during his annual “State of Sanderson” blog post where he details all his ongoing and future projects. The interview with Esquire corroborates that there will be a decade-long pause in the narrative of “The Stormlight Archive” after “Wind and Truth,” mirroring the six years that Sanderson plans to take off from the series in reality.

Despite appearing as leisure hours, Sanderson will actually be busy working on at least five other books: a new “Mistborn” trilogy and two sequels to his debut fantasy novel, “Elantris,” which he initially published in 2005. He mentioned that for storyline and continuity purposes, he has to write these novels first, but they don’t need to be read to appreciate or understand “The Stormlight Archive.” All the series are designed to stand alone, even with their interconnected elements.

Brandon Sanderson’s “Mistborn” series is highly anticipated as it’s his most significant work apart from “The Stormlight Archive.” He has a history of exploring various timelines within this world, and he’s hinted at plans for a “Mistborn” series set in an era with 1980s-inspired technology, followed by a space opera. This suggests that we can look forward to more than one additional “Mistborn” era in the future.

The other big piece of information we have about Mistborn Era 3, which was revealed in last year’s “State of the Sanderson,” is the series title: Ghostbloods. That should ring some serious bells for anyone who’s current on The Stormlight Archive. Last year Sanderson said he expects to start work on Ghostbloods in January of 2025; we’ll keep an eye out to see what he says in this year’s post.

I too am quite thrilled about the news that Elantris sequels are in the works. Readers have been eagerly anticipating a follow-up to Brandon Sanderson’s first novel for quite some time, so hearing that not just one but two of them will be released over the next couple of years has me equally excited and impatient!

Brandon Sanderson wrote 4 different endings for Wind and Truth, confirms main characters for Stormlight books 6-10

Brandon Sanderson confirms which POV characters will lead Stormlight books 6-10

In the intriguing Esquire profile, it’s been confirmed which characters will be central to the final five books of the Stormlight Archive series. Each Stormlight Archive book focuses on a specific character, providing glimpses into their past through flashbacks that uncover hidden truths and connections to the book’s broader storyline. For instance, The Way of Kings centered around Kaladin, Words of Radiance around Shallan, and so forth. Sanderson referred to this as the “Lost” format, hinting at why he chose the enigmatic assassin Szeth for this treatment in Wind and Truth. He explained that it felt organic not to explore his story until the end of the first half of The Stormlight Archive, aligning with his plans for this book without revealing the reasons.

For a while now, Sanderson has hinted that he intended to focus on characters such as Renarin, Lift, and Jasnah as the primary flashback perspectives for books six through ten in “The Stormlight Archive”. However, plans can alter with time, so it’s reassuring to hear fresh confirmation: the final five books of the series will indeed present flashbacks from Lift, Renarin, Shalash, Talenel, and Jasnah, respectively. Additionally, other main characters from the initial story arc who survived can be expected to make appearances, though further flashbacks from them might not be as frequent.

The most intriguing parts about this to me are Shalash and Talenel. Those are two of the Heralds, demigod figures who play an extremely important role in the mythology of Roshar, the world of The Stormlight Archive. I can’t even imagine what flashbacks Sanderson will choose for them. It will also be curious to see what flashbacks Sanderson chooses for Lift, Renarin, and Jasnah. At this point we know a lot of the secrets related to those characters…but with a 10-year time jump on the horizon, it’s possible the flashbacks could fill in some of what happened during those missing days as well.

As a passionate film buff, I must share that the narrative structure of Sanderson’s series is ever-evolving, with Szeth’s flashbacks initially intended for book three but later shifted to book four, and then to book five. Although he had an overarching vision since the start, the details can always be tweaked as he progresses through each book, adapting to its specific requirements. So, we eagerly await to see how it unfolds!

Regardless of your choice, we’ll soon get a chance to delve into ‘Wind and Truth’, concluding the initial storyline of ‘The Stormlight Archive’. This exciting release is set for this Friday, December 6. Keep an eye on our site, ‘Winter Is Coming’, as we’re planning in-depth coverage of ‘Wind and Truth’. Stay tuned for more fascinating Cosmere articles in the near future.

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2024-12-04 17:41

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