The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies

#CosmereSpoilers The release of Rhythm of War is so close, we can almost taste it! Brandon Sanderson's latest entry in the epic series  The Stormlight Archive is just a few months away, and to tease us, he's releasing a few chapters and interludes in advance. In his July 2020 newsletter, he shared an interlude involving our favorite little spren, Sylphrena, and your hosts are excited to share thei...

#CosmereSpoilers It's time for another closer look at a specific scene. In this episode, Amy takes the lead as we look over Silence's three main conflicts in Brandon Sanderson's short story, "Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell." So join us as we delve into Silence's motivations and methods in this short piece on a little-known Cosmere world! ___ This episode's show notes can be found here:...

#CosmereSpoilers Let's talk about games! The SICS crew is joined by Dylan, co-host of the board game podcast  The Innkeeper's Table , as they have a discussion about a different sort of entry in the Cosmere.  Mistborn: House War is a board game by Crafty Games where players act as the heads of various Great Houses of Luthadel. Who will be on top when the dust of the skaa rebellion settles? ___ Thi...

#CosmereSpoilers Isn't it great when Brandon Sanderson unexpectedly drops a bunch of new information on you about one of your favorite series? In this episode, your hosts discuss their results on the official Knights Radiant Orders Quiz and some of the new information we got in the descriptions of each order. Have you taken the quiz yet? Which order did you get? ___ This episode's show notes can b...

#CosmereSpoilers The Listeners of Roshar passed down their lore through oral tradition—songs—and we get a portion of those songs in some of the epigrams from Words of Radiance . In this episode, Amy, Jordan, and Bill pick apart those songs to see if we can discover some potential theories about Roshar's history. ___ This episode's show notes can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G...

#CosmereSpoilers While it's not the eponymous "Stormlight Archive," the gemstone archive in Urithiru holds  many secrets, and Brandon sprinkled a few tidbits into the epigrams of  Oathbringer . In this episode, the SICS hosts analyze the few bits of this archive that we have to see what we can learn about the ancient orders of Knights Radiant and just what happened in Urithiru all those millennia...

#CosmereSpoilers When your favorite author licenses a game company to build an RPG system around his world, sometimes you get a bonus story thrown in! In this episode, the SICS hosts discuss the short story, "The Eleventh Metal." Brandon Sanderson is somehow a bottomless reservoir of stories, and we're not complaining! So come along and learn about Kelsier's early years as a new Mistborn! Thanks t...

#CosmereSpoilers Brandon keeps shaking things up, and we love it. In "Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania," Brandon Sanderson created his own version of an old broadsheet serial story, and it's everything you could hope it would be. So join the SICS hosts this week as we delve into the adventures of Allomancer Jak, his long-suffering Terris companion Handerwym, and the beautiful Elizandra—who h...

#CosmereSpoilers They often say that "money is power," but in the Cosmere, that can often be taken  literally . In this episode of  The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies , the hosts take a look at the various economies and currencies that Brandon Sanderson has developed for the Cosmere. Whether you're talking about burnable metals, stormlight stored in gemstones, or even exchanging Breaths...

#CosmereSpoilers Wow! Two years! Thank y'all so much for listening for so long! (And if you're new, thanks so much for joining us on this crazy ride!) In our two-year anniversary episode, The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies dives in to the shortest piece of Cosmere fiction that Brandon Sanderson has put out there: the very brief scene about Hoid and Frost titled "The Traveler." Even in a...

#CosmereSpoilers If you've read one or more of Brandon Sanderson's books, you're probably familiar with the way everything really starts coming together at the end. This has been termed by fans the "Brandon Avalanche," the "Sanderson Avalanche," or just the "Sanderlanche." (Warning: Venture into the Avalanche Zone near bedtime at your own risk!) Whatever you prefer to call it, though, there's no d...

#CosmereSpoilers No, Amy, we're NOT calling it "Rosh-mance," okay? Just... just no! The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies is back for another episode about romance and other gushy, emotional stuff, this time focusing in on several couples in  The Stormlight Archive . So come along with the hosts of your favorite Cosmere and Brandon Sanderson podcast as we take a look at Shadolin, Davani, R...

#CosmereSpoilers Got a question for The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies? In this episode, Bill, Jordan, and Amy go through the mailbag, answering questions from YOU—our listeners—and discussing theories and ideas that you have been sending in. If you've got a question, or a theory, or anything else, make sure to write to us at cosmerestudies@gmail.com and we may talk about it in a future...

#CosmereSpoilers Should magic have rules or focus on wonder? According to Brandon Sanderson's First Law of Magic, both can work! According to Sanderson's First Law, the ability of an author's characters to solve problems with magic is DIRECTLY related to how well the readers understand the magic. In this episode, Bill, Amy, and Jordan discuss Sanderson's First Law and how it applies to works both...

#CosmereSpoilers Discussing visual art in a mostly-audio podcast? What a great idea! The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies is back, and this time, we're taking a closer look (literally, this time) at the art in  The Way of Kings . Shallan's Sketchbook, Navani's Notebook, historical reliefs and more, Brandon Sanderson and Team Dragonsteel put together an incredibly rich collection of images...

#CosmereSpoilers Happy New Year to all, but perhaps more importantly, Happy Koloss Head-Munching Day! On December 19, Brandon Sanderson posted his annual State of the Sanderson blog post, and we're here to talk about every little bit of it! Plus, in BrandonWatch 2019, we check in on Brandon's social media as, during the recording of this episode, he was in the middle of a 12-hour writing marathon...

#CosmereSpoilers The Amy Takeover is at hand! Okay, not really, but Amy's taking the lead in this episode as the SICS crew explores several of the romantic relationships across the Cosmere and discusses how Brandon Sanderson has evolved his writing style regarding romance over the years. Join us as we talk about power couples, Skyping with "magic glowy balls," and other "tales as old as time." You...

#CosmereSpoilers Let's take a peek into the future! In this episode of The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies, join Bill, Amy, and Jordan as we discuss the Chapter 1 preview of  Rhythm of War that Brandon Sanderson sent out in his November newsletter. We've still got another year until Book 4 in  The Stormlight Archive is released, but this preview's got us excited! ___ This episode's show...

#CosmereSpoilers And now, for our very first episode where we aren't just reviewing a book! We are doing an autopsy on the scene where Kelsier takes on the Steel Inquisitor! It's Jordan's favorite scene in all of the Cosmere and we are going to burn some tin and examine the ash out of this scene! ___ This episode's show notes can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EXzxfKydbAgzN53Rf...

#CosmereSpoilers And finally, almost a year and a half since we started, we've made our way through all the major works of the Cosmere! (Hush, Jordan!) Today, we discuss the latest piece that Brandon Sanderson has published within the Cosmere, Volume 3 of his graphic novel, White Sand. We explore the conclusion of this trilogy on the tidally-locked world of Taldain, and Bill has a surprise for his...

#CosmereSpoilers Do you know what we love? How rich the worlds that Brandon Sanderson creates are. In today's episode, we're diving into some of the cool side stories that he's written in order to make Roshar feel that much more alive! That's right, we're taking a look at the Interludes from  Oathbringer , the third (and most recent) book in  The Stormlight Archive ! So come along as Bill, Jordan,...

#CosmereSpoilers Are you ready for the avalanche!? In this episode of The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies, the SICS crew FINALLY wraps up the epic conclusion of Oathbringer, Book 3 of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. We already focused on Dalinar's perspective, but there were others on the battlefield that day. Also, how do YOU pronounce "mauve?" ___ This episode's show notes...

#CosmereSpoilers It's about to go down! The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies dives into one of Brandon's biggest Brandon Avalanches(TM) to date, and we barely even scratch the surface! There's just so much to cover, and we're not complaining! It's the beginning of the end (of Book 3) as we start discussing Part 5 of Oathbringer, the third book in Brandon Sanderson's epic saga, The Stormli...

#CosmereSpoilers There's a Worldhopper among us! In this episode, the SICS crew are joined by guest host Aaryan Balu, host of another great Cosmere podcast, The Worldhopper's Guide to the Cosmere. Part 3 ended on a rough note, and things aren't really looking up yet in Part 4. They say it's often the darkest before the dawn, so hopefully the sun'll come up soon! (Fortunately, Brandon still gives u...

#CosmereSpoilers Remember how the Bridge 4 chapters in Part 2 made us cry? Well, um... There are a few chapters in Part 3 that make us cry, too, but for entirely different reasons. This week's episode of The Sandersonian Institute of Cosmere Studies takes us into some of the hardest chapters of Oathbringer, Book 3 of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson—but there are still some wonderful, g...