Sanderson talked to Tor about his worldbuilding aspirations in an interview following the release of The Way of Kings: Oathbringer centers around the struggle to unite Roshar’s many countries against Odium, a god-like being with plans to destroy all of human civilization. While the action of the first book is more or less confined to two kingdoms within Roshar, it expands out from there in the subsequent two novels. The first five books will make up one long story, with the second five books serving as a “sequel” of sorts to that first story, following different main characters. Sanderson plans to have a total of 10 books in the series, separated into two major story arcs. In Oathbringer (2017), we learn about Dalinar’s past. In Words of Radiance (2014), we learn about Shallan’s past. In The Way of Kings, we learn about Kaladin’s past. Most of the action in The Way of the Kings follows three main characters: warrior Kaladin, ruler Dalinar, and scholar Shallan. Each story in The Stormlight Archive gives us a set of flashbacks centered around a different character’s story. These “highstorms” sweep from east to west across the continent, leaving destruction in their wake, and, like all environments, have shaped the respective cultures, religions, and societies that make up this world. These storms are also integral to this world’s magical system, as they imbue Roshar’s gemstones with Stormlight, an energy that powers much of this world’s magic. The story starts with The Way of Kings (2010), which introduces us to Roshar, a planet where violent storms shape everything. So I’ve convinced you to dive into Sanderson’s work, but what the heck is The Stormlight Archive even about? I’m glad you asked… While it is in no way necessary to read all of Sanderson’s books in order to understand and enjoy the respective series, it is a pretty rewarding reason to check out Sanderson’s work past his fantasy opus, finding Easter eggs along the way. That’s incredibly ambitious on Sanderson’s part and endlessly fun for readers.
Elantris, The Stormlight Archive, and the Mistborn trilogy are all part of the Cosmere, a huge fictional universe that is home to almost every book that Sanderson has ever written.Įach book/series on Sanderson’s resume takes place on a different planet - with its own culture, politics, and magical systems - in the same universe. From his debut novel, Elantris, back in 2005, Sanderson has been quietly building a shared fictional universe. His books are very interesting because of the depth of experience that he is able to write about.This is also why Sanderson’s books are such a worthwhile investment of your time and interest. You also have senior military commanders in their 40s dealing with their parenting errors and other mistakes of their youth. You have kids of 13 years navigating a coming-of-age journey where they learn to control their magic. And his books are filled with characters of all age groups. Being an ardent reader of fantasy in his 40s himself, he probably feels this too. And adults are usually side-characters in most fantasy series. When I read Harry Potter these days, I find myself relating more to Sirius and Lupin rather than Harry, Ron, or Hermione. But I am slowly finding myself unable to relate to most main characters because of the age gap. This was great for me while growing up since I could always relate to them and picture myself in their shoes.Īs an adult, I still love fantasy. Most fantasy novels have a kid or a teenager as the main protagonist. Some of them have a dark past, some of them have an ideology they believe in, some of them are just focused on survival. He portrays them as real, grey, and flawed human beings with independent lives and opinions. Sanderson’s books are a place where you can always expect to read about different kinds of women. There are usually plenty of us, and we have many different qualities.
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Marvel has been through a long journey of learning how to portray women well. Some examples are Galadriel in LOTR and Peggy Carter in the Captain America movies. And she’s portrayed as a perfect heroic person who can do no wrong. Like a mythical creature that usually doesn’t exist, and we’re lucky to have stumbled upon one. Even when a good female character is written, she’s written as a unicorn. It’s definitely picking up in recent times, but it still takes an effort to find a book with interesting women. Female representation in fiction has always been extremely unsatisfactory.
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