Of Stormlight and Mist

The Subtle Art of Brandon Sanderson

Cover for The Way of Kings — first book in The Stormlight Archives

My Lovely Sara,

What does it take to build a world, define it’s rules and set out upon it? For us bound by reality, our choices are limited. We do not hold the power of the gods. we cannot determine fate and destiny; Nay, we are bound by them. But we have been gifted the power to do something bigger, grander and perhaps more profound. we have been given the power to imagine.

You’ve always known I’m a fiction buff. From the scheming characters lurking in Robert Ludlum’s masterpieces to the reckless gunfights in Jay R. Bonansinga’s The Killer’s Game. From the emotional twisters of Danielle Steele to the convolutions of Sidney Sheldon’s writing. From the practice-based law stories of John Grisham to the bony work of Temperance Brennan. But above all these for me stand two key genres, Scifi and Fantasy.

You’ve probably suffered through enough of my speeches on the beauty of imagination. The amazing nature of the unseen, unfelt and un-experienced. The worlds created specifically for you to venture through. For you to explore and learn. For you to watch as characters evolve and grow and change. For you to love and cherish. From the sandy lands of Dune to the many worlds of The Hyperion Cantos. I absolutely love Fantasy and Scifi, but you know this. This letter is about an author who just takes my breath away: Brandon Sanderson.

Take the epic scale of Lord of The Rings, now throw in the character development of George RR Martin, stir in some wit, some humour and enough dire circumstance to end a planet, a world, a nation, and you’ve got a Brandon Sanderson book.

The Stormlight Archives and The Mistborn series I think are some of the best fantasy books that I have ever laid my eyes upon. Brandon ( Can I call him Brandon? I mean, After reading all those books, It’s almost like we know each other ) — writes on overcoming overwhelming challenge. The story is never the same but a few things always ring true.

Firstly, the characters are well-written, relatable and memorable. From the inscrutable villains to the merry band of heroes, everyone is unique. everyone has a story, everyone grows. The dynamism of it is just overwhelming to think about at times. From stoic generals in the Stormlight archive to wily sorcerers in The Mistborn Trilogy, every single character has a purpose. Everybody has a personal goal and they embody it. They change with circumstance and adapt accordingly. You are able to feel them come alive from the page and love them or hate them for who they are. When they are human, they are human — fallible, gullible, broken and yet so lovable, funny, humourous. and when they aren’t — well, that brings me to my next point.

World-Building. This is truly what Brandon Sanderson is great at. Amazing world-building. He paints an entire canvas and the story is but a portion of it. He creates systems that feel so real and that work. Lands and Places have lore that transcends the characters, that transcends the story that you read. He inspires this great feeling that the characters are but a tiny piece in the world-machine. That their story is simply one of a million others. That the worlds are not tied to the people you follow in the story but to so many more. It’s in the detail of the lore, It’s in the systems of magic, It’s in the rules of governance, It’s in the real reasons that things happen and in the misinterpretation of the same events.

He has a wonderful way of making you feel like a privileged viewer. He is like a gatekeeper to portals. And all he offers you is a peek into the lives and events of a world. He puts you in their minds and you see it like they see it. In short, It’s absolutely amazing.

Yes, my love. This is an absolute fan-boy letter. Written mainly because he just released Skyward and I’m pretty sure I will once again disappear into a beautiful world filled with wonder, danger and hope. And once again, I will be entranced by a band of people who choose to embrace hope, stand, and change their circumstance.

Yours, Always,

Lawrence

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