Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - Tortellini

Pages: [1]
1
Brandon Sanderson / Your name in the Stormlight archive
« on: April 07, 2011, 02:54:07 PM »
Pretty cool...

http://cgi.ebay.com/LTUE-Benefit-Name-Auction-Brandon-Sanderson-/380330574045?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item588d7800dd

Personally, I will not be participating, since my name already popped up in the Way of Kings. That's right, my name is in the Stormlight Archives already! Ha!

As a throwaway for an idiot of a young king who ruins his kingdom for no good reason...   :'(

2
Brandon Sanderson / Nature of Shardblades? (Spoilers)
« on: January 24, 2011, 01:55:31 PM »
This is heavily based on an older thread about the decryption of Navani's sketches, found here: http://www.timewastersguide.com/forum/index.php?topic=7882.0

Great thread, by the way. In any case, that thread gives a lot of information about fabrials, including that they are powered by stormlight, and that they contain trapped spren. That lead to the question if maybe shardplate is a form of fabrial - including a trapped spren. It does regrow, so it definitely is special.

But shardplate is still ordinary compared to shardblades, which can appear and disappear into mist. Also, Syl does not like shardblades at all. But if fabrials contain trapped spren, what could be worse than that? Some people discussed shardplates also containing a trapped spren, but maybe that's still not far enough?

What if a shardblade is a type of spren?

Their appearing and disappearing, their different effect on living and dead matter show that they are very unique. There are some inanimate spren I think (one type was described as being like snow flakes). The Radiants had shardblades, but maybe they got these spren with the acceptance of the spren (like Kaladin acquired Syl). What if the remaining shardblades are sort of enslaved (or "lobotomized" in some way)?That could be why just anyone can use them. That would then definitely be revolting to Syl. And since there are so many different types of spren, it could well be that the blades are among them. That would also explain why the spren-powered fabrial of the half-shards can stop them...

Plate may be similar, but the shardplates of old exhibit different properties - the helmets of the Knights Radiant from the visions appear and reappear like they are being summoned and released just like shardblades. Modern shardplate does not do that - maybe the spren is dead, which would make it less revolting. The plate still regrows though, so there is something there... Syl never said that shardplate is ok, though - maybe Dalinar was just half as bad as before when he gave up the blade, which from her point of view would still be better than both plate and blade. Since the only "feels" this, she doesn't really know what's going on, either.

Anyone have some input on this theory?

3
Brandon Sanderson / WOK: Observations from a second read-through (*Spoilers*)
« on: January 20, 2011, 05:12:25 PM »
I just read through the Way of Kings for the second time - definitely my record for least time waited between read-throughs by far. Some observations I made, maybe you want to weigh in on this (spoilers, obviously):

- Elhokar is talking to two people whose appearances are described in detail in the prologue. Then Szeth states that they are unimportant. To him, maybe, but seriously: no, they're not! Maybe this is a red herring instead of real foreshadowing, but the murder is definitely an important event, so something may be going on there...

- Dalinar is doing something with his Shardplate during the fight with the Chasmfiend. At one point, where he is jumping up, it says his armor almost found the right direction to land on its own. This could well be Dalinar using something stormlight-related without knowing it - just like Kaladin did exceptionally well in combat and at the bridge before realizing what was going on.

- No clue what happened to Gaz, even after specifically looking out for anything about him. His viewpoint describes him as seeing something in the shadows, so maybe there is more to the theory that something surge-related is going on with him, but other than that... ?

- Hoid does grill Dalinar about whether he knows something about Adonalsium. My explanation is Hoid knows that Dalinar is getting visions from the Almighty and wants to know how much info Dalinar got.

- We know the Windrunners have access to pressure and gravity-related powers. However, the question is, are there more ways to use this than the three Lashings? Szeth seems to take it for granted that that's all there is, but he doesn't know everything...

- What shattered the shattered plains? It is described as if something heavy fell on the land there. Must have been quite the impact, but they are not a crater. I originally figured they were created by erosion, but that statement hints at something else...

- not much is known about Shadesmar in general, but I did notice on the second read-through how Jasnah gets Shallan out of there by pushing her into one of the floating flames. What are those flames? Some sort of gateway? Could they work in both directions somehow?

- The number 10 is obviously a major theme of the series. However, the appendix hints at 10 further magic systems beyond the first 10 that we are starting to learn about. So 20 in total. Also, looking at the 20 traits associated with the 10 numbers (each herald has 2 traits, which are similar in theme) gives us 20 again. Little to go on for now, though.

- as you may have noticed, I drifted far away from observation and am now firmly in the land of speculation. One question came to me towards the end: most of the 10-related things are positive: Heralds, Knights Radiant orders, etc. There are however the 10 fools mentioned several times. Who are they? And if the 10 orders of the Radiants will rise again in the series, will there be a set of 10 "evil" orders? The central question is where the number 10 comes from - is it coming from the Almighty somehow? Then it would make sense to have the "good guys" ordered in 10s while Odium's forces are less regular? Or is it something more basic - then whoever will be a more direct representation of Odium could also have 10 orders - and maybe 10 powers to complement the other 10 (see above). The Almighty did say that Odium might be moved to chose a Champion, whatever that means, so more direct interaction with some form of minions is likely coming.

- finally, what are the Tranquiline Halls? Just the Rosharian equivalent of heaven? Or is there something - as Jasnah said, I am now looking for natural explanations for supernatural beliefs... may they have some form of a (far-away) historical basis?

Pages: [1]