Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: Ipood on March 16, 2011, 05:51:30 PM
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http://aidanmoher.com/blog/2011/03/cover-art/cover-art-the-alloy-of-law-by-brandon-sanderson/
Isn't Ladrian Breezes name?
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haha, there's a topic on 17th Shard about "Dual mistings", and somebody made a comment about steel and iron.
And yeah, that's Breeze's name. Who wants to bet that's not a co-incidence?
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<33333333333 the cover art.
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I would venture to say that it was very intentional. And Duel Mistings? I have yet to see this topic. On my way over there now. I have been looking into the Twinborns that were mentioned, however.
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Yeah, I don't think that's the sort of thing he'd do accidentally. I'm totally psyched to read the book and the cover art is FANTASTIC!!!
Two words: Geek hotness.
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One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.
This should have basically the same affect as having both Steel and Iron (until the user runs out of metals or stored up weight). Neat idea of how to get around the limitations of only Mistings and the Feruchemy equivalent of Mistings existing.
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Bwahahahaaa... the speculations begin. ;D
That cover is very cool. I love McGrath's work on the Dresden books.
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And Waxillium is an awesome name.
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One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.
This should have basically the same affect as having both Steel and Iron (until the user runs out of metals or stored up weight). Neat idea of how to get around the limitations of only Mistings and the Feruchemy equivalent of Mistings existing.
No, this is much, much better. Pushing and Pulling at the same time had strong limits, because your body could only take so much.
Being able to be heavier or lighter (given time) could be nearly limitless depending on how much weight is stored.
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One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.
This should have basically the same affect as having both Steel and Iron (until the user runs out of metals or stored up weight). Neat idea of how to get around the limitations of only Mistings and the Feruchemy equivalent of Mistings existing.
No, this is much, much better. Pushing and Pulling at the same time had strong limits, because your body could only take so much.
Being able to be heavier or lighter (given time) could be nearly limitless depending on how much weight is stored.
On top of all that there's the cool floating rather than falling trick that Sazed did with weight.
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One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.
This should have basically the same affect as having both Steel and Iron (until the user runs out of metals or stored up weight). Neat idea of how to get around the limitations of only Mistings and the Feruchemy equivalent of Mistings existing.
No, this is much, much better. Pushing and Pulling at the same time had strong limits, because your body could only take so much.
Being able to be heavier or lighter (given time) could be nearly limitless depending on how much weight is stored.
On top of all that there's the cool floating rather than falling trick that Sazed did with weight.
Precisely, use almost NO metal to push yourself a direction. Or have yourself be a HUGE anchor to push something else.
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Wow, that cover doesn't just yell steampunk, it grabs you by the collar of your shirt and shouts "STEAMPUNK!" so loudly you can feel the drops of spittle hit your face :D
Definitely not saying I don't like it though ;)
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That cover is beyond awesome. I cannot wait for this book to come out!
I like how one of the cities is called Elendel. :D
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Wow, that cover doesn't just yell steampunk, it grabs you by the collar of your shirt and shouts "STEAMPUNK!" so loudly you can feel the drops of spittle hit your face :D
Definitely not saying I don't like it though ;)
I thought steampunk was supposed to be pseudo sci-fi along the same lines as space operas, built around unrealistic science but sci-fi all the same. ??? Not that it matters.
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The book actually isn't steampunk. It's fairly standard very early 1900s technology level, though they're behind that in some ways and ahead in others. But the cover is largely accurate in most respects. Waxillium does wear goggles in one scene, but not most of the time.
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Is it even possible to combine any sort of Victorian/Industrial Revolution setting with fantastical elements of ANY kind and not be labeled as "steampunk"? I mean, it doesn't really matter if its got steam or magic or mouse poops running the technology, this is an issue of marketing and public perception... Industrial Revolution + Fantasy = "Steampunk", whether it's got steam running the gears or not. Only insiders really make distinctions between steampunk, dieselpunk, gearpunk, springpunk, manapunk, cattlepunk, and so forth.
I think fans should rest assured, this book isn't about Brandon cashing in on Tropes. Book covers are about marketing, with only a secondary consideration for content.
Plus, I swear... goggles are just straight-up marketing shorthand, now. If Wax wasn't wearing the goggles, would it still scream "steampunk" so hard? Can you wear goggles and NOT scream "steampunk"?
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Plus, I swear... goggles are just straight-up marketing shorthand, now. If Wax wasn't wearing the goggles, would it still scream "steampunk" so hard? Can you wear goggles and NOT scream "steampunk"?
This must be somewhat frustrating for you as an artist, I guess? It can be easy to be pigeonholed if people just see the cliché. I am not worried at all that the book is "cashing in on a trope", by the way, it seems more like someone in marketing is trying to cash in on the trope... But hey, if more people buy it, good for Brandon and you guys!
But yeah, the goggles are pretty much it. Although, to be fair, they are welding goggles. So they really should be on a welder. Vest, tie and leather coat plus welder's goggles is not just a steampunk trope, it's the steampunk trope.
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This must be somewhat frustrating for you as an artist, I guess? It can be easy to be pigeonholed if people just see the cliché.
Not so much... if I add goggles to a character design, it's for one of two reasons: They're functionally appropriate for the character's role, or I'm actively attempting to tap that trope as visual shorthand (which is what's being done here). I'd be interested in knowing if these goggles were McGrath's idea or someone else's.
In current visual parlance, goggles added to a character design indicate a technological aspect. They're usually welding goggles because that implies dirty industrial technology (welding=gas and sparks and molten metal), as opposed to a sleeker design that might imply clean futurist technology, or a simpler design which might just imply vision correction. Plus, dark lenses are inherently embedded in popular culture as "cool", and welding goggles are straight black... if they were clear and made you look like you had googly-eyes, it wouldn't work so well.
What I love about this cover is that McGrath captured the characters well, regardless of their clothing or props. I feel like he nailed their features, expressions and body language. And the overall tone of the illustration is suitable for the book inside... I don't think anyone is going to pick this up and read it and then complain that it wasn't the book they were expecting from the cover art.
They might complain that there wasn't enough goggles. ;D
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That's really interesting, the idea of tapping a trope purposely as a visual shorthand - of course it makes sense now that I think of it. Cool to get such an analysis of the inner workings of a cover!
As for the characters, it's great that they are well described. Now it just makes me want to read the book more!
PS: Ze goggles! Zey do nozzink!
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truly, Ranier Wolfcastle was the definitive Radioactive Man.
Visual tropes are as common as any. Once you know to look for 'em, you see 'em everywhere. Other examples are the use of white or black hats in westerns to denote good and bad guys (which was then turned on its ear in the 60's, but that only worked because it was a trope), or the use of cigarettes to denote an attitude of apathy (which is part of being "cool"), or even the type of weapon a character chooses to arm themselves with (revolver=cowboy, big guns=overpowering force, small guns=stealthy, etc).
Being able to recognize and manipulate visual tropes is an effective way for an artist to establish hints of character in a design. Accessories, fashion, body types, body language, all of them carry subtle hints based on shared popular culture.
Of course, when that crosses into cultures that don't share the same tropes, it can fall flat or even miscommunicate. Then the fun really starts.
;D
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truly, Ranier Wolfcastle was the definitive Radioactive Man.
Visual tropes are as common as any. Once you know to look for 'em, you see 'em everywhere. Other examples are the use of white or black hats in westerns to denote good and bad guys (which was then turned on its ear in the 60's, but that only worked because it was a trope), or the use of cigarettes to denote an attitude of apathy (which is part of being "cool"), or even the type of weapon a character chooses to arm themselves with (revolver=cowboy, big guns=overpowering force, small guns=stealthy, etc).
Being able to recognize and manipulate visual tropes is an effective way for an artist to establish hints of character in a design. Accessories, fashion, body types, body language, all of them carry subtle hints based on shared popular culture.
Of course, when that crosses into cultures that don't share the same tropes, it can fall flat or even miscommunicate. Then the fun really starts.
;D
That's interesting... of course I'm aware of most of those visual tropes, but up until now I hadn't really realized how prevalent they still were. I'm going to have to start keeping an eye out for those. In fact now I'm interested to see how many I'd find when taking a survey of the covers of the books I own...
All that being said, the shorthand of goggles=steampunk has really started to annoy me. I see way too many drawings and covers that have nothing to do with steampunk but still get labeled as such because someone wears goggles in them.
As an aside, the word "goggles" starts to look really funny when you type it too much. Goggles goggles goggles...
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The combination of iron feruchemy with steel allomancy would make it a lot safer for a misting to use a spikeway (or a railroad ;D ), with their lack of iron and pewter allomancy.
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What other townborn combo would be good like steel and iron? Pewter and healing(don't remember the metal for that) maybe?
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What other townborn combo would be good like steel and iron? Pewter and healing(don't remember the metal for that) maybe?
The best would be the same metal for both because then they could use the Lord Ruler's combo amplification trick. Pewter or Steel would be best for that, I think, giving you utterly absurd strength or speed plus either, well, more strength (also toughness) or pushing ability. Gold might also be good for the ability to heal from practically anything almost instantly, but there's only so far that will get you if you don't have anything else and the Allomantic ability is near useless on its own.
It's "twinborn", btw.
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I like townborn better :P
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I'm liking the idea of a steel misting/gold feruchemist combo. You'd be just about impossible to damage. And how about a combination of an atium misting and a steel feruchemist (physical speed)? Or is that just me wanting to see scenes from the Matrix reenacted in the Mistborn world...
On a side note, who else is excited to see what feruchemical effects the new metals have?
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And how about a combination of an atium misting and a steel feruchemist (physical speed)?
*Spoilers*
Atium's gone anyway, it wouldn't matter if you were born an atium misting because it wouldn't do you any good. Neat idea, though.
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*Spoilers*
Atium's gone anyway, it wouldn't matter if you were born an atium misting because it wouldn't do you any good. Neat idea, though.
*** MORE SPOILERS ***
Atium is not gone. Somewhere in one of the books - I think when Kelsier was destroying the Pits - it was mentioned (or implied) that atium doesn't just go away when you burn it. It kind of finds its way back to the Pits, where it forms new geodes after a few hundred years.
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*** CONTINUING SPOILERS ***
Ah, but the Pits are gone too, and I don't mean in the sense of "Kelsier cracked all current geodes." Sazed rearranged the entire world and may have reabsorbed the Pits' power back into himself. There's a quote from Brandon somewhere in that giant Q&A thread stating that, in the time future books are set in, Atium is a thing of myth and legend and the only way anyone is getting any of it is if Sazed decides to give it to them. Marsh may have some because he was Sazed's friend before the Ascension and can use it to copy Rashek's immortality trick, so giving Atium to Marsh would be keeping a dear friend and incredibly valuable servant alive, but that's pretty much it.
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As an aside, the word "goggles" starts to look really funny when you type it too much. Goggles goggles goggles...
Psst! You see that lady over there? What kind of hairstyle does she have? ;)
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As an aside, the word "goggles" starts to look really funny when you type it too much. Goggles goggles goggles...
Psst! You see that lady over there? What kind of hairstyle does she have? ;)
*checks* That looks like a bouffant...
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A bulbous bouffant.
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I love you guys.
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Since it's never too early for speculation... I wonder if we'll see Hoid in this book. He's had some appearance in every Adonalsium book so far, but this might be more of a side-story since its planning was spontaneous. It's also possible Hoid is elsewhere if Allow of Law happens concurrently with other books we haven't gotten yet.
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Is this the beginning of a Cosmere where's waldo?
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Is this the beginning of a Cosmere where's waldo?
Sounds like it.
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Morserker, Hoid is in every Shardworld book.
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Do you know that for sure, Miyabi? Anything official?
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Hoid is in every Cosmere (Brandon's own term for his universe) book so far, but I am not aware of any guarantee that this will always remain true in the future.
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Uhm, if I dug really hard on the forums I'm sure it's there somewhere. Perhaps in the HoA Q&A thread? IDK.
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I don't know if it's a fact, but we've seen him everywhere so far, and it has been confirmed that he is the same person. He can travel between Shardworlds, so it's safe to assume that he pop up everywhere.
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Yes, but all of those were books were world changing events occurred, for example (SPOILERS): Elantris just before the Restorations of the Elantrians, Mistborn 1 before the Death of LR, book 2 before the release of Ruin, and book 3 (He was in the Fadrex cityat the same time as Vin) before the Two ascensions to Shardhood and the epical battles and world changing, WOK before the beginning of the Grand Scale of Events, and Warbreaker before the assassination (Though it was avoided) of Susebron, whom might be rather close to Shardhood. Is Alloy of Law going to be of such grand scale?
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****, I missed Hoid in Well of Ascenttion :-[
What was he doing?
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According to Coppermind, he was an unnamed Terrisman.
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In that Terris camp? I'll have to give it another look...
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Yep. He was the Terrisman refugee leader that Elend speaks to. (After Vin travels back to Luthadel). He shakes a lot, something that may or may not be an act.
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Tin Allomancy + Steel Feruchemy = Ultimate spy/scout
or
Pewter Allomancy + Gold Feruchemy = Ultimate tank
OR...
Chromium Allomancy + Steel Feruchemy = hehehe...
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Hoid is in pages 313-314 of The Final Empire as a contact Kelsier spoke to. I just read it and had to post here.
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Waxillium, however, is a stupid name.
Zing! I must admit I agree!
I'm about to finally have time to read TWoTK. I think I've put it off so long after how long WoT has been drug out. The reviews I've seen have said that the groundwork Brandon laid was way to lengthy and his editor should have been fired. I would prefer to read it before the new Mistborn comes out just in case it ties in to the book.
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What reviewer said that?
Anyhow, all Cosmere books tie together in some respect. Was Hoid always a skinny bald man? That description seems about right for Wit, and I can't recall what he looked like in Warbreaker...
Took a second to work out TWoTK... there's only one "The" in The Way of Kings. Unless I got the acronym wrong?
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Seriously. I like the groundwork. Sure it spends a lot of time just building things without an immediate payoff, but it is the first in ten volumes. Finally a big series that didn't start as a trilogy and then turned into 7 or 14 books but is planned that way. And I enjoy the world-building.
Maybe we are so used to series starting with a faster pace and then slowing down (both Song of Ice and Fire and Wheel of Time are good examples here), it is unusual to see a series that is planned better and picks up steam over time.
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TWoK does start off slower than many books out there do.
It seems like it could almost be considered a standard fantasy trope in and of itself: the protagonists get introduced (if the work is particularly derivative, they will live in a nice rural village with happy, healthy peasants during a time of rejoicing), evil attacks, the protagonists have to flee, etc. Everything is very personal and very busy.
Then they start meeting kings, nobles and elves, we get a flipping ton of backstory, and the story broadens, spreads out, and begins to be more epic. It also tends to slow down. A lot.
Tolkien did it this way, of course; in his case, the only reason the story is remotely engaging before the Hobbits get to Rivendale is because of the sense of impending doom and the personal danger involved. Terry Brooks did it, as did Robert Jordan. It's a perfectly good way to start out an epic story.
In Brandon's case, though, he basically cut to the chase and started out with a broader scope rather than pretending it was one persons story. This does mean readers have to acclimate more to the abrupt start in worldbuilding rather than being eased into it. On the other hand, it also gives assurance that Brandon actually knows where his story is headed already. I don't mind reading an epic story if the author is honest about the scope in advance. I like this approach, as long as I know what I'm getting.
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I don't understand why people keep saying that TWoK is slow to start. I was transfixed from page 1. There were times that I'd have to stop and read the same paragraph four or five times because his prose was so beautiful. I had to stop myself from tearing out the page and framing it.
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I don't understand why people keep saying that TWoK is slow to start. I was transfixed from page 1. There were times that I'd have to stop and read the same paragraph four or five times because his prose was so beautiful. I had to stop myself from tearing out the page and framing it.
Oh, I absolutely agree! I loved it, and read it twice. What people mean is that from a story structure, it starts a lot but does not finish much - it is very much a set-up for something to follow. And three plots means of course that each plot feels slower. Compare this to the first WoT novel - immediate action, danger, and a singular (mostly) journey building up to a final goal, which is reached and the "big bad" is defeated. That is more of a self-containing story in itself while the larger plot is prepared in the background. That makes for a faster-paced first novel, but later novels have the problem of less connection with the previous parts, or more and more contrived connections that weren't really planned for. This is what Brandon does a lot - he sets up some things to pick up on later so that in the end, it will feel much more like one organic story spanning 10 books.
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Yeah, that's what I love about his books. There's so many layers. He puts in the most seemingly innocuous sentences that are actually foreshadowing. It's brilliant!
Yes, there's less action as in battles and such but there's so much else going on that in my opinion they're just as fast paced as the more tropic fantasy books are.
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I'm having a great time trying to pick apart TWOK for clues. And I know my theories are all going to be WRONG in the end lol.
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I think I should mention that Hoid's presence in this book is the most subdued yet. Don't anticipate something like Way of Kings, and don't keep expecting him to show up as you're reading. It will be especially obvious to certain readers, but if you miss it, don't let a search for Hoid distract you from the story.
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I was kind of expecting that Hoid wasn't going to make a particularly obvious appearance in AoL. He seems to be interested in major events that affect at least one world in a major way, since AoL is basically an interlude in the story of Scadriel I didn't think he'd be doing much.
Of course you realize that everybody is going to want to be the one that finds Hoid first? It's like Where's Waldo, except without pictures.
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So does this mean that it's a walk on role similar to Elantris?
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So...even though Atium is "legendary" by the time of Alloy of Law, does anyone have any indication of what feruchemical properties it would have? If it was the ability to "see the future", what would be the opposite to store it? Would it be "wandering around clueless" for a while, or temporary loss of memory? Sort of like the opposite of storing a history?
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I don't understand why people keep saying that TWoK is slow to start. I was transfixed from page 1. There were times that I'd have to stop and read the same paragraph four or five times because his prose was so beautiful. I had to stop myself from tearing out the page and framing it.
It starts out very fast, and then we skip to Kaladin moping in a wagon. It isn't that the opening is slow, even those who are don't like it generally agree that it starts fast, but their complaint is that the story slows waaayyy down after the first 40 pages.
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So...even though Atium is "legendary" by the time of Alloy of Law, does anyone have any indication of what feruchemical properties it would have? If it was the ability to "see the future", what would be the opposite to store it? Would it be "wandering around clueless" for a while, or temporary loss of memory? Sort of like the opposite of storing a history?
Atium's Feruchemical property was revealed in Mistborn 1. It's age. Actually, I think it would be more accurate to call it youth. Start storing in it and you grow older. Tap it and you grow younger. Store in it, then swallow and burn it, and you grow a LOT younger. It's how Rashek achieved his immortality to become the Lord Ruler.
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Cool...thanks. Missed that part.