Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Winn Sanderson[1] (born December 19, 1975) is an American author of high fantasy and science fiction. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series,[a] and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan's high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created several graphic novel fantasy series, including White Sand and Dark One.
Brandon Sanderson | |
|---|---|
Sanderson at the 2016 Lucca Comics & Games convention | |
| Born | December 19, 1975 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Education | Brigham Young University (BA, MA) |
| Period | 2005–present |
| Genre | Fantasy, science fiction |
| Notable works |
|
| Spouse | Emily Bushman |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
He created Sanderson's Laws of Magic and popularized the idea of "hard magic" and "soft magic" systems. In 2008, Sanderson started a podcast with author Dan Wells and cartoonist Howard Tayler called Writing Excuses, involving topics about creating genre writing and webcomics. In 2016, the American media company DMG Entertainment licensed the movie rights to Sanderson's entire Cosmere universe, but the rights have since reverted back to Sanderson. Sanderson's March 2022 Kickstarter campaign became the most successful in history, finishing with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153.
Personal life
Early life and education
Brandon Sanderson was born on December 19, 1975, in Lincoln, Nebraska,[3][4] the eldest of four children. Sanderson became a passionate reader of high fantasy novels while a teenager, and he made several early attempts at writing his own stories.[5] After graduating from high school in 1994, he went to Brigham Young University (BYU) as a biochemistry major. He took a two-year leave of absence from 1995 to 1997 to serve as a volunteer missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was assigned to serve in South Korea.[5]
After completing his missionary service, Sanderson returned to BYU and changed his major to English literature. While an undergraduate, Sanderson took a job as a night auditor at a local hotel in Provo, Utah, as it allowed him to write while working.[5] One of Sanderson's roommates at BYU was Ken Jennings, who nearly ten years later became famous during his 74-game win streak on the American game show Jeopardy!.[6] Sanderson graduated from BYU in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts. He continued on as a graduate student, receiving an M.A. in English with an emphasis in creative writing in 2004.[7] While at BYU, Sanderson was on the staff of Leading Edge, a semi-professional speculative fiction magazine published by the university, and served as its editor-in-chief for one year.[8]
In 2006, Sanderson married Emily Bushman, an English, Spanish, and ESL teacher and fellow BYU alumna who later became his business manager.[5][9] They have three sons and reside in American Fork, Utah.[10]
Career
Early writing career
Sanderson wrote consistently throughout his undergraduate and graduate studies, and by 2003 he had written twelve novels, though no publisher had accepted any of them for publication.[11] While in the middle of a graduate program at BYU, he was contacted by Tor Books editor Moshe Feder, who wanted to acquire one of his books. Sanderson had submitted the manuscript of his sixth novel,[12] Elantris, a year and a half earlier.[5] Elantris was published by Tor Books on April 21, 2005, to generally positive reviews.[13][14] This was followed in 2006 by Mistborn: The Final Empire, the first book in his Mistborn fantasy trilogy, in which "allomancers"—people with the ability to 'burn' metals and alloys after ingesting them—gain enhanced senses and control over powerful supernatural forces.[15]
He published the second book of the Mistborn series The Well of Ascension in 2007.[16] Later that year, Sanderson published the children's novel Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, about a boy named Alcatraz with a talent for breaking things.[17] Alcatraz confronts a group of evil librarians who are bent on taking over the world. The first of his "laws of magic" were first published in 2007, with the second and third published in 2012 and 2013 (respectively).[18][19][20] In 2008, the third and final book in the Mistborn trilogy was published, titled The Hero of Ages, as well as the second book in the Alcatraz series, titled Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones.[21] That same year, he started the podcast Writing Excuses with Howard Tayler and Dan Wells.[22]
The Wheel of Time
Sanderson rose to prominence in late 2007 when Harriet McDougal, the wife and editor of author Robert Jordan, chose Sanderson to complete the final books in Jordan's epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time after Jordan's death. McDougal asked Sanderson to finish the series after being deeply impressed by his first Mistborn novel, The Final Empire.[23] Tor Books made the announcement on December 7, 2007.[24] After reviewing what was necessary to complete the series, Sanderson and Tor announced on March 30, 2009, that a final three books would be published instead of just one.
The first of these, The Gathering Storm, was published on October 27, 2009, and reached the number-one spot on the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction.[25][26] Towers of Midnight, the second-to-last Wheel of Time book, was published just over a year after The Gathering Storm on November 2, 2010, debuting at number one on the bestseller list.[27] In early 2013, the series was completed with the publication of A Memory of Light.[28]
Career
In 2009, Tor Books published Warbreaker, which originally appeared serially on Sanderson's website while he was writing the novel from 2006 to 2009.[29][30] In the same year, the third Alcatraz book was published, titled Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia.[31] In 2010, Sanderson published The Way of Kings, the first of a planned ten-book series called The Stormlight Archive. It achieved the number seven slot on the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list.[32] The fourth Alcatraz novel, Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens, followed soon after.[33]
In October 2011, he finished a novella e-book, Infinity Blade: Awakening, based on the action role-playing, iOS video game Infinity Blade, developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games.[34] In November 2011, he published a sequel to the Mistborn trilogy, Mistborn: The Alloy of Law.[35] It was originally planned as a standalone novel set about 300 years after the original trilogy, but it was later expanded into a four-book series.[36][37] It debuted at number nine on the combined print and e-book New York Times Best Seller list.[38]
On August 31, 2012, Sanderson published a science fiction novella entitled Legion, followed by another short work titled The Emperor's Soul.[39][40] In 2013, Sanderson published two new young adult series. These series included The Rithmatist and the first of The Reckoners series titled Steelheart.[41][42][43] In March 2014, Words of Radiance, the second book in The Stormlight Archive, was published.[44]
Later that year, Subterranean Press published the second novella in the Legion series, Legion: Skin Deep.[45] It was a preliminary nominee for the 2015 Hugo Awards, but did not make the final ballot.[45] In January 2015, the second book of The Reckoners, titled Firefight, was published.[46] Firefight won the 2015 Whitney Award in the Best Young Adult—Speculative category.[46] It also placed eighth in the Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction category of the Goodreads Choice Awards and was a finalist for the 2015 AML Award in the Young Adult Novel category.[46]
Nine months later, Sanderson published Mistborn: Shadows of Self as a direct sequel to The Alloy of Law.[47] The novel won the 2017 Neffy Award in the Best Novel category, placed third in the 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards in the Fantasy category, was a finalist in the Best Speculative Fiction category of the 2015 Whitney Awards, and was a preliminary nomineed for the 2016 Gemmell Legend Award.[47] On November 16, 2015, Sanderson's agency (JABberwocky Literary Agency) announced that Sanderson officially sold over 7 million copies worldwide.[48]
On January 26, 2016, Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning was published as the sequel to Shadows of Self. On February 16, 2016, the third and final book of the Reckoners trilogy, titled Calamity, was published. In June 2016, Sanderson's first graphic novel White Sand—written with Rik Hoskin—was released. The series is planned as a trilogy.[49] The graphic novels are based on an original manuscript by Sanderson.[50] On September 6, 2016, the fifth Alcatraz book was published, called Alcatraz Versus the Dark Talent.[51]
DMG Entertainment optioned the Cosmere in 2016 for film and television.[52] On November 22, 2016, an anthology of Cosmere short stories and novellas was published, titled Arcanum Unbounded: A Cosmere Collection. The third book in The Stormlight Archive, Oathbringer, was published on November 14, 2017.[53] The first book of the Defiant series, Skyward, was published on November 6, 2018.[54] The second book in the series, Starsight, was released on November 26, 2019. In September 2020, a collaboration project with author Mary Robinette Kowal called The Original, was released. Rhythm of War, the fourth Stormlight novel, was published on November 17, 2020.[55] In 2020, Sanderson's agency updated his number of copies sold to over 18 million worldwide,[56] and in early 2021, to over 21 million.[57]
In March 2021, Brandon Sanderson announced a "Weekly Update" in his YouTube channel which will give updates on his current projects every week. On May 26, Brandon Sanderson revealed the title and cover for "Cytonic", the third book of his Skyward series, which was published on November 23, 2021. Sanderson started a new podcast in June 2021 called 'Intentionally Blank', with friend and fellow science fiction author Dan Wells.[58]
Sanderson announced in March 2022 that, over the previous two pandemic years, he had secretly written five otherwise-unannounced books (four full adult novels and a shorter junior novel). The full novels (three of which are set in the Cosmere) will be made available through a Kickstarter subscription that will release them quarterly through 2023.[59] The Kickstarter campaign was highly successful, raising $15 million in its first 24 hours[60] and over $20 million within three days, becoming the all-time most successful campaign.[61] The Kickstarter campaign finished with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153.[62][63] Before the conclusion of his Kickstarter campaign, Sanderson also backed every other publishing project on Kickstarter, for a total of 316 projects.[64] One of the secret projects during the pandemic, Tress of the Emerald Sea, will be available in book form in April 2023.[65]
Sanderson also collaborated with Unknown Worlds Entertainment to create the lore and setting for the video game Moonbreaker, which was released via early access in September 2022.[66]
Cosmere
The Cosmere is the name of the universe in which Elantris, Mistborn, Warbreaker, The Stormlight Archive, White Sand, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and stories contained in Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection are all set. This idea came from Sanderson's desire to create an epic-length series without requiring readers to buy a ridiculous number of books. Because of that, he hides connections to his other works within each book, creating a "hidden epic".[67] He has estimated that the Cosmere sequence could conclude with at least 40 books.[68]
The story of the Cosmere is about a mysterious being called Adonalsium, who existed on a world known as Yolen. Adonalsium was killed by a group of at least eighteen conspirators, causing its power to shatter into sixteen different Shards, each of which bears immense power.[69] Sixteen of those people then took these Shards and traveled to new worlds, populating them with different systems of magic. In one case, the Shards Ruin and Preservation worked together to actually create a planet and its people (Scadrial, as featured in Mistborn).[69]
Each Shard has an Intent, such as Ambition or Honor, and a Vessel's personality is changed over time to bring them more in-line with their Intent. Odium has killed—or Splintered—several shards. On Sel, he splintered Devotion and Dominion, accidentally creating the Dor, from which Seons and Skaze have emerged. On Roshar, Odium splintered Honor and brought about the Everstorm and the True Desolation. He has also Splintered Ambition, in the Threnody system. A man known as Hoid is seen or mentioned in most Cosmere books. He travels the so-called Shardworlds, using the people of those worlds to further an unknown agenda.[70]
Sanderson's Laws of Magic
The idea of hard magic and soft magic was popularized by Sanderson for world building and creating magic systems in fictional settings.[71][72][73] The terminology of hard and soft originate from hard and soft sciences, which lends itself towards hard science fiction and soft science fiction. Both terms are approximate ways of characterizing two ends of a spectrum.[18][74] Hard magic systems follow specific rules, the magic is controlled and explained to the reader in the narrative detailing the mechanics behind the way the magic 'works' and can be used for building settings that revolve around the magic system.[75][76] Soft magic systems may not have clearly defined rules or limitations, or they may provide limited exposition regarding their workings. They are used to create a sense of wonder to the reader.[71][77]
Sanderson's three laws of magic are creative writing guidelines that can be used to create magic systems for fantasy stories:
- An author's ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic.[18]
- Weaknesses, limits and costs are more interesting than powers.[19][78]
- The author should expand on what is already a part of the magic system before something entirely new is added, as this may otherwise entirely change how the magic system fits into the fictional world.[20]
Additionally, there is a zeroth law:
- Always err on the side of what's awesome.[79]
Teaching
Sanderson is adjunct faculty at Brigham Young University, teaching a creative writing course once per year.[80][81] Sanderson also participates in the weekly podcast Writing Excuses with authors Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, and web cartoonist Howard Tayler.[22] He began hosting the podcast Intentionally Blank with Dan Wells in June 2021, where they discuss random things they enjoy.[82]
Bibliography
Selected awards and honors
Sanderson has been nominated for and also won multiple awards for his various works. See Writing Excuses for additional awards and nominations.
| Year | Organization | Award title, Category | Work | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Romantic Times | Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award, Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award | Elantris | Won | [83] |
| 2006 | World Science Fiction Convention | John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer | -- | Nominated | |
| Romantic Times | Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award, Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award | Mistborn | Nominated | [84] | |
| 2007 | World Science Fiction Convention | John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer | -- | Nominated | |
| Romantic Times | Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award, Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award | The Well of Ascension | Nominated | [85] | |
| Polytechnic University of Catalonia | UPC Science Fiction Award | Defending Elysium | Won | [86] | |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction | The Well of Ascension | Nominated | [87] | |
| Whitney Awards, Best Youth Fiction | Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians | Nominated | |||
| 2008 | Romantic Times | Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award, Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award | The Hero of Ages | Won | [88] |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction Award | The Hero of Ages | Won | [89] | |
| 2009 | LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction | Warbreaker | Nominated | [90] |
| 2010 | LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction Award | The Way of Kings | Won | [91] |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Novel of the Year Award | The Way of Kings | Won | [91] | |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2010, Best Fantasy of 2010 | Towers of Midnight | Won | [92] | |
| 2011 | DGLA | David Gemmell Legend Award | The Way of Kings | Won | [93] |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction Award | The Alloy of Law | Won | [94] | |
| 2012 | Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2012, Best Fantasy of 2012 | The Emperor's Soul | Nominated | [95] |
| 2013 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Novella | The Emperor's Soul | Won | [96] |
| World Fantasy Convention | World Fantasy Award, Best Novella | The Emperor's Soul | Nominated | [97] | |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2013, Best Fantasy of 2013 | A Memory of Light | Nominated | [98] | |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Young Adult—Speculative | Steelheart | Won | [99] | |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2013, Best Young Adult Fantasy of 2013 | Steelheart | Nominated | [100] | |
| 2014 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Novel | The Wheel of Time[101] | Nominated | [102] |
| DGLA | David Gemmell Legend Award, Best Novel | A Memory of Light | Nominated | [103] | |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2014, Best Fantasy of 2014 | Words of Radiance | Nominated | [104] | |
| Whitney Awards | 2014 Whitney Finalists, Speculative | Words of Radiance | Won | [105] | |
| 2015 | DGLA | David Gemmell Legend Award, Legend Award | Words of Radiance | Won | |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2015, Best Fantasy of 2015 | Shadows of Self | Nominated | [106] | |
| Goodreads Choice Awards 2015, Best Young Adult Fantasy of 2015 | Firefight | Nominated | [107] | ||
| 2016 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Novella | Perfect State | Nominated | [108] |
| Dragon Con | Dragon Award, Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel | Calamity | Nominated | [109] | |
| 2017 | DGLA | David Gemmell Legend Award, Legend Award | The Bands of Mourning | Nominated | |
| 2018 | DGLA | David Gemmell Legend Award, Best Fantasy Novel | Oathbringer | Nominated | [110] |
| World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Series | The Stormlight Archive | Nominated | [111] | |
| 2021 | Dragon Con | Dragon Award, Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal) | Rhythm of War | Nominated | [112] |
See also
Notes
Explanatory notes
Citations
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- ^ Whitney, Deana; Cole, Darci (October 22, 2018). "A Non-Spoiler Review of Skyward, a Young Adult Novel from Brandon Sanderson". Tor.com. from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
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- ^ Jennings, Ken (December 11, 2007). "Ken Jennings - Blog". ken-jennings.com. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
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- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (October 19, 2008). "My History as a Writer". faq.brandonsanderson.com. from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (June 24, 2005). "Annotation Elantris Chapter 7". brandonsanderson.com. from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- ^ Card, Orson Scott. "Leaves, Lost, Halloween, Elantris". from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
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- ^ Sklaroff, Sara (July 30, 2006). "Science Fiction & Fantasy". Washingtonpost.com. from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
- ^ "Title: The Well of Ascension". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Title: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c Sanderson, Brandon (February 20, 2007). "Sanderson's First Law". from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Sanderson, Brandon (January 16, 2012). "Sanderson's Second Law". from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Sanderson, Brandon (September 25, 2013). "Sanderson's Third Law of Magic". from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ "Title: Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b . Writing Excuses. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
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- ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.[dead link]
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- ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. November 21, 2010. from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ "Title: A Memory of Light". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Title: Warbreaker". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (November 21, 2009). "Standalones: Warbreaker". from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Title: Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ . Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Title: Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (November 2, 2010). "The First Epic iPhone Game Is Now 'Infinity Blade'". Kotaku. Gawker Media. from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Title: The Alloy of Law". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (November 28, 2011). "Brandon Sanderson Newsletter for November 2011". from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (December 20, 2021). "State of the Sanderson 2021". from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction - November 27, 2011". The New York Times. November 27, 2011. from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ "Title: Legion". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Title: The Emperor's Soul". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Title: The Rithmatist". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ . SFScope.com. June 13, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- ^ . Gollancz. June 13, 2012. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (March 4, 2014). Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, Book 2) (Stormlight Archive, The). ISBN 978-0765326362.
- ^ a b "Title: Legion: Skin Deep". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Title: Firefight". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b "Title: Shadows of Self". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Brandon Sanderson Sells Over 7 Million Copies!". awfulagent.com. November 16, 2015. from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
- ^ "Brandon Sanderson's Fantasy Epic Comes To Comic Books With WHITE SAND Preview". Newsarama. April 26, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2014.[dead link]
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (May 30, 2014). "Hugo Voter Packet with The Wheel of Time, Convention Deadlines, White Sand Graphic Novels". Dragonsteel Entertainment. from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ "Title: The Dark Talent". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "DMG Nabs Rights to Brandon Sanderson's 'Cosmere' Book Universe in Massive Deal (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. October 27, 2016. from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ . Tor.com. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ^ "Skyward is out today!". brandonsanderson.com/. November 6, 2018. from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ "Brandon Sanderson's Rhythm of War Launches with a Special Event and Signed Books". Tor.com. September 24, 2020. from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ "Brandon Sanderson – JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc". awfulagent.com. from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "Brandon Sanderson – JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc". awfulagent.com. from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ "Intentionally Blank Podcast - Brandon Sanderson on Youtube". YouTube.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon. "It's Time to Come Clean". YouTube. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Fantasy King Brandon Sanderson Just Raised $15 Million on Kickstarter in a Single Day". Paste Magazine. March 2, 2022. from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (March 4, 2022). "Brandon Sanderson's surprise novels overtake Pebble watch as most successful Kickstarter ever". The Verge. from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Holt, K. (April 1, 2022). "Brandon Sanderson's record-breaking Kickstarter campaign ends with $41.7 million". Engadget.com. from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Knight, Shawn (April 1, 2022). "Surprise book series smashes previous Kickstarter record by more than double". TechSpot.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Daniel Roman (April 2022). "Author Brandon Sanderson backs every single publishing project on Kickstarter". Winter Is Coming. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
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- ^ Marks, Tom (September 29, 2022). "Brandon Sanderson Says Moonbreaker Collab Isn't Like George R. R. Martin and Elden Ring". IGN. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (October 20, 2018). "How/When Did You Come Up With The Idea Of The Cosmere?". brandonsanderson.com. from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
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- ^ a b Sanderson, Brandon (January 26, 2016). "Part Three, Chapter 2". Mistborn: Secret History. Mistborn series. Dragonsteel Entertainment. ISBN 978-1-938570-12-4.
Anyway, there was a God. Adonalsium. I don't know if it was a force or a being, though I suspect the latter. Sixteen people, together, killed Adonalsium, ripping it apart and dividing its essence between them, becoming the first who Ascended.
- ^ Whitehead, Adam. . Wertzone. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ a b Johnson, Levi (February 3, 2020). "How to Choose Between a Hard or Soft Magic System". Campfire Technology. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Alison (March 7, 2019). "How to Build Your Novel's Magic System". Mythos Ink. from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Howard, Jeff (April 22, 2014). Game Magic: A Designer's Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice. CRC Press. pp. 262–264. ISBN 9781466567870. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Rowenson, Clark R. (December 11, 2016). "Types of Magic Part 1: Hard Magic, Soft Magic, and In-Between". crrowenson.com. from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Strand, Emily (October 2019). "Dobby the Robot: the Science Fiction in Harry Potter". Mythlore. 38 (1). ISSN 0146-9339. from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ Nair, Aditya (November 7, 2019). "How To Build Magic Systems Using Sanderson's Laws Of Magic". The Curious Reader. from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ Raizman, Alex (May 26, 2019). "Hard Vs Soft Magic – Strengths, Weaknesses, and Which to Use". alexraizman.com. from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Lecture #5: Worldbuilding Part One — Brandon Sanderson on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy (YouTube). Brandon Sanderson. March 5, 2020. Event occurs at 39:39. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
Sanderson's second law is that flaws or limitations are more interesting than powers.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (September 3, 2016). "Sanderson's Zeroth Law of Magic". from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
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External links
- Official website
- Brandon Sanderson at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Brandon Sanderson at the MLCA Database
- 2020 Creative Writing Lectures at BYU