Rhom Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Brandon read chapter one of Stones Unhallowed at FantasyCon! The dude is a machine. He'll probably have the first draft of the script ready by August. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 The dude is a machine. He'll probably have the first draft of the script for book 4 ready by August. :lol: There, I corrected your post. :P He's nuts. It's odd reading a series where the author is more likely to turn in work early than late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaston de Foix Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 There, I corrected your post. :P He's nuts. It's odd reading a series where the author is more likely to turn in work early than late. That's amazing. I do wonder though, if he had taken another year over revising WOR would he have produced a better book? With most authors one would assume they revise well beyond the point of diminishing returns because you know, it's their baby, and insecurity and self-doubt is not exactly uncommon. With Brandon, even as I glory in his feeding my addiction, I think Words of Radiance would have been a more polished book if he had taken more time. In one way, it doesn't really matter; people like his work, buy his work, and vote with their dollars and pounds. Trying to write for immortality is a mug's game. But if this was the series, the books he always dreamt of writing then he could have taken a bit more time over Book 2. WOK I don't have the same complaint because (i) it was in my estimation as good as it was going to get and (ii) like many people I was so blown away by the ambition and complexity of the project and the gorgeous art, poetry etc that it was already groundbreaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suttree Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I do wonder though, if he had taken another year over revising WOR would he have produced a better book? With most authors one would assume they revise well beyond the point of diminishing returns because you know, it's their baby, and insecurity and self-doubt is not exactly uncommon. With Brandon, even as I glory in his feeding my addiction, I think Words of Radiance would have been a more polished book if he had taken more time. Indeed. If he ever hopes to raise above that mid-tier level he really needs to work on that. As is the quality is just way too inconsistent in much of his work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
End of Disc One Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Aside from removing the word "awesomeness" (which Brandon wouldn't do) I can't imagine anything that would make this book better, personally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Indeed. If he ever hopes to raise above that mid-tier level he really needs to work on that. As is the quality is just way too inconsistent in much of his work. Agreed. As I've said before, WOK had an amazing impact on me. WOR was really cool, but by the end it felt more like a comic book than a great work of literature (a really good comic book nonetheless, but the powers of the Radiants seems a little too great to me). I wouldn't have complained if he took another few months to polish it up (not sure about a year... I'd probably grumble about that. Given he can pump out numerous books a year, he should be able to edit/polish a 1200 page novel over a weekend). As to superhero powers, I suppose if the VB end up having just as enormous powers to balance it out, or perhaps if there are unknown negative consequences of said powers, it will still be worth the read, but in the end (and at the moment), it still feels like an X-men arc as opposed to something more impactful. ETA for grammar and compulsive editing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Kilimaro Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 In one way, it doesn't really matter; people like his work, buy his work, and vote with their dollars and pounds. Trying to write for immortality is a mug's game. But if this was the series, the books he always dreamt of writing then he could have taken a bit more time over Book 2. WOK I don't have the same complaint because (i) it was in my estimation as good as it was going to get and (ii) like many people I was so blown away by the ambition and complexity of the project and the gorgeous art, poetry etc that it was already groundbreaking. Am I remembering right that he had been working on WOK for a long time before it was ultimately published? He says on his website that he had started work on it like 15 years before it actually came out. I'm sure it changed a lot from its original form, but that's a lot of time where things can get tweaked. That would certainly explain why you felt a level of polish in that book that may not have been present in WOR. At least we know he's writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solmyr Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 I was checking BS's website yesterday and I was dismayed to see that his progress bars do not even have SA books in them. But this news seems encouraging. Although he could've had this chapter as a leftover from WoR and he might not have done much work on SU yet. I can sympathize with those, who're hoping for more polished books, but from my perspective the books are good enough as they are, as long as he keeps them coming. SA is planned as a 10-book series, but in this genre authors often end up with more books than they planned. So 12 is not a bad estimate, provided he finishes it. Then you have the so-called split in the middle - BS has indicated he would take a break from the series then and focus on other books (another Mistborn Trilogy perhaps). Now lets do the numbers: even with his awesome writing speed, it's still at least a year and a half per book, more if he is also working on other large projects. 10 remaining books means 15 years. Add the gap in the middle and you come to 18-20 years until we get to the end of these series. And that's if nothing goes wrong. If BS instead takes time to polish his books ... and takes, say, 3 years each (he'd be slowed down by his other books, which he would be polishing too) ... I don't even want to consider it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night's_King Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Am I remembering right that he had been working on WOK for a long time before it was ultimately published? He says on his website that he had started work on it like 15 years before it actually came out. I'm sure it changed a lot from its original form, but that's a lot of time where things can get tweaked. That would certainly explain why you felt a level of polish in that book that may not have been present in WOR. At least we know he's writing. The thing with Brandon is: As opposed to GRRM (who calls himself a gardener), Brandon is an "architect". He plans his storys a lot before he actually starts writing. He knows where he's heading and he knows the major plotpoints. He even knows things like "Book 5 will be focused on Dalinar". That's why he's so fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaston de Foix Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 The thing with Brandon is: As opposed to GRRM (who calls himself a gardener), Brandon is an "architect". He plans his storys a lot before he actually starts writing. He knows where he's heading and he knows the major plotpoints. He even knows things like "Book 5 will be focused on Dalinar". That's why he's so I was checking BS's website yesterday and I was dismayed to see that his progress bars do not even have SA books in them. But this news seems encouraging. Although he could've had this chapter as a leftover from WoR and he might not have done much work on SU yet. I can sympathize with those, who're hoping for more polished books, but from my perspective the books are good enough as they are, as long as he keeps them coming. SA is planned as a 10-book series, but in this genre authors often end up with more books than they planned. So 12 is not a bad estimate, provided he finishes it. Then you have the so-called split in the middle - BS has indicated he would take a break from the series then and focus on other books (another Mistborn Trilogy perhaps). Now lets do the numbers: even with his awesome writing speed, it's still at least a year and a half per book, more if he is also working on other large projects. 10 remaining books means 15 years. Add the gap in the middle and you come to 18-20 years until we get to the end of these series. And that's if nothing goes wrong. If BS instead takes time to polish his books ... and takes, say, 3 years each (he'd be slowed down by his other books, which he would be polishing too) ... I don't even want to consider it. If he says 10 books, I believe him. Given the centrality of the number '10' to the series, there are good reasons to stick with 10. You do have a fair point about the length of time it will take to the series will finish even at his writing speed, particularly given the enormous number of his projects and his willingness to start new ones at all the time. It's a trade-off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Given I started reading the Wheel of Time in 1991 at 13 years old (thinking it was a trilogy at the release of book 3), and finished when I was 35... 15 years for a 10 book series start-to finish sounds pretty good. ETA: And I'm certain it will be 10 books. Like Gastion said, Brandon is an architect, and given the significance of the number 10 in the series, it will be 10 books. He outlines everything and then sticks to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Kilimaro Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 The thing with Brandon is: As opposed to GRRM (who calls himself a gardener), Brandon is an "architect". He plans his storys a lot before he actually starts writing. He knows where he's heading and he knows the major plotpoints. He even knows things like "Book 5 will be focused on Dalinar". That's why he's so fast. It's pretty easy to make a proclamation like that two books into a series. Whether that means he can follow through and keep it at "only" ten while writing at a similar speed is another story. But so far there's no reason to doubt him, and he's certainly prolific even when not writing Stormlight Archive books. So that's something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 It's pretty easy to make a proclamation like that two books into a series. Whether that means he can follow through and keep it at "only" ten while writing at a similar speed is another story. But so far there's no reason to doubt him, and he's certainly prolific even when not writing Stormlight Archive books. So that's something. Well, GRRM has said he planned for AGoT to end with the Red Wedding... and IIRC, the cleansing of Saidin was supposed to be in Book 2 of WoT... I seriously doubt that Brandon has any plotlines that far off already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Well, this is kind of crazy. The map of Roshar is not a random doodle, it's actually the result of a fractal Julia set. Given it's formed by the video seen on Wikipedia for Julia sets (and has been there since 2006), it looks like Brandon nabbed it from the site. Peter (Brandon's assistant) confirmed this is where Roshar came from. Pretty cool. A fantasy map generated by maths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Well, this is kind of crazy. The map of Roshar is not a random doodle, it's actually the result of a fractal Julia set. Given it's formed by the video seen on Wikipedia for Julia sets (and has been there since 2006), it looks like Brandon nabbed it from the site. Peter (Brandon's assistant) confirmed this is where Roshar came from. Pretty cool. A fantasy map generated by maths. I like it! Rather clever actually. Fits right in with the rest of the lore, significance of 10, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Consider my mind blown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Kilimaro Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Well, this is kind of crazy. The map of Roshar is not a random doodle, it's actually the result of a fractal Julia set. Given it's formed by the video seen on Wikipedia for Julia sets (and has been there since 2006), it looks like Brandon nabbed it from the site. Peter (Brandon's assistant) confirmed this is where Roshar came from. Pretty cool. A fantasy map generated by maths. Now that's what I call intelligent design. That is amazing. So many little Easter eggs out there for the Sanderson reader. Sometimes it kinda makes me roll my eyes, but that one is really cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I'm pretty sure the map of the shattered plains is a factal of some sort as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 The thing with Brandon is: As opposed to GRRM (who calls himself a gardener), Brandon is an "architect". He plans his storys a lot before he actually starts writing. He knows where he's heading and he knows the major plotpoints. He even knows things like "Book 5 will be focused on Dalinar". That's why he's so fast. I'm not sure why you would even compare those two authors. One is a goddam artist (GRRM) with a well established library, the other is a hack (BS), with little to no skill, but a mildly amusing work ethic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I'm not sure why you would even compare those two authors. One is a goddam artist (GRRM) with a well established library, the other is a hack (BS), with little to no skill, but a mildly amusing work ethic. Opinions are like assholes... I think Brandon is a decent author, and has a great knack for world-building and magic system. Character interaction and development, meh he's average. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary. I've read pretty much everything written by GRRM, and other than Books 1-3 of ASoIaF, and perhaps Fevre Dream, I would say he has the opposite knacks (being a knack for character development and interaction, along with a strong basis of world building without knowing what to do with it once it's built... but perhaps the final 4 books will change my mind a bit). Heresey, I know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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