The Way of Kings : pre-release

[Peter Ahlstrom]

That's the most specific info he's ever announced.

[Pygmalion]

Oh, my gosh. Brandon just posted a more in-depth description of Kings on the Barnes and Noble forum (he's now doing a Q&A there). It sounds even MORE amazing. AH!

I've told Tor that I want to release KINGS on a schedule of two books, followed by one book in another setting, then two more KINGS.  The series of KINGS has been named The Stormlight Archive.  (The Way of Kings is the name of the first volume.)
 
So I should be doing plenty of shorter series in between.  We'll see how busy this all keeps me.  I think I'd go crazy if I weren't allowed to do new worlds every now and again.
 
But, then, KINGS turned out very, very well.  (The first book is complete as of yesterday.)  What is it about?  Well...I'm struggling to find words to explain it.  I could easily give a one or two line pitch on my previous books, but the scope of what I'm trying with this novel is such that it defies my attempts to pin it down.
 
It happens in a world where hurricane-like storms crash over the land every few days.  All of plant life and animal life has had to evolve to deal with this.  Plants, for instance, have shells they can withdraw into before a storm.  Even trees pull in their leaves and branches.  There is no soil, just endless fields of rock. 
 
According to the mythology of the world, mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls.  Heaven.  Well, a group of evil spirits known as the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men.  Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms, but the Voidbringers chased them there, trying to push them off of Roshar and into Damnation. 
 
The voidbringers came against man a hundred by a hundred times, trying to destroy them or push them away.  To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades.  Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, men resisted the Voidbringers ten thousand times, finally winning and finding peace.
 
Or so the legends say.  Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield.  The entire world, essentially, is at war with itself--and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind.  Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne.
 
That's the backstory.  Probably too much of it.  (Sorry.)  The book follows a young spearman forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn't understand and doesn't really want to fight.  It will deal with the truth of what happened deep in mankind's past.  Why did the Radiants turn against mankind, and what happened to the magic they used to wield?
 
I've been working on this book for ten years now.  Rather than making it easier to describe and explain, that has made it more daunting.  I'm sure I'll get better at it as I revise and as people ask me more often. 

*happy dance* 

[little wilson]

Ook, I thought so. I've read everything he's put up on his blog about it, and nothing has come close to this....I was amazed as I read more and more....wow. Just wow.

And Pygmalion, I am SO joining you with that happy dance.

[zas678]

Voidbringers? Sounds familiar.... I wonder if there is some bizzare Hoid-ish connection between them and the Worldbringers?

[Ari54]

It finally occured to me that after reading the blog post and Brandon's two online Q&A sessions that I could post here. Duh.

So now all I have to add is OH MY GOD I AM EXCITED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

Also, I don't usually use caps.

That description is pretty cool, and I already can't wait to see how the Stormlight Archive begins. Well played, Brandon.

[Plasman]

So i am incredibly jealous that i don't live in Utah and so won't be able to hear a reading from WoK...

[little wilson]

So i am incredibly jealous that i don't live in Utah and so won't be able to hear a reading from WoK...

...Me too....But I might be able to hear some of it later, around the New Year, assuming he's able to come back to I.F. after the WoT signing to do a reading of his own stuff (he said on the B&N Q&A that he might try that..which would awesome, if I can convince my dad that it would be worth it to go....shouldn't be too hard).

[firstRainbowRose]

I don't know about the reading, but I know that the prologue (which he'll more the likely read) is AWESOME!  I'm sure you'll get a chance to hear it later.

[Plasman]

anyone know the next time brandon will bein california?

[morppp]

Is there a chance Mr. Sanderson would release a prologue or sample chapter on the site?

Would be great I think.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Brandon will be in California during the TGS tour. Details (of some of the tour dates at least) should be posted on the website in the next few weeks.

Also, Brandon said he is definitely going to be releasing sample chapters of WoK on the site, and probably will start that earlier than he released sample chapters from his other books.

[firstRainbowRose]

So then can we expect the first three chapters (or I guess prolouge and the firsts two) as per usual?

[Plasman]

I have realized that i am going to have to wait an extra two years before i can read Way of Kings.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Why's that?

Or you could wait 15 years until all 10 books are out, right?

fRR I seem to remember him saying he might release a couple more than 3 chapters.

[morppp]

That's truly great news, I think it's so awesome Mr. Sanderson actually releases "teasers".

2010 is looking like it'll turn out to be a great year for fantasy, with Mr. Sanderson's help the new WoT will be unleashed upon the literary world at last and hopefully G.R.R.M. will also be releasing "A Dance with Dragons".

It's great fun to pick up each book by Mr. Sanderson and discover how much his writing-skills are growing and refining with each release.

Thanks for the speedy reply btw