Includes SPOILERS for The Stormlight Archive through Wind and Truth and Mistborn through The Lost Metal.
There are three Brandon Sanderson books coming soon, including the newMistbornseries, that could potentially answer one of my longest-lasting Cosmere curiosities. TheCosmere universeis possibly the most addicting saga in contemporary fantasy, with a variety of worlds and narratives to follow and endlessly compelling connective tissue tying it all together: theconflict between the Shards.As this world has developed, recurring characters and worldhoppers have become increasingly prevalent, but many of their motives are still a source of confusion.
Wind and Truth’sendingconcluded the first arc ofThe Stormlight Archive, and while there were some astounding Cosmere reveals, it’s just a few more pieces on an enormous puzzle. We have such a long way to go before Brandon Sanderson starts providing a more complete picture. Luckily, thereshould be at least five more Cosmere novels hitting shelves before the decade is over, meaning there’s plenty more to look forward to. One notable mystery, especially afterWind and Truth, is the influence and goals of the organization known as the Seventeenth Shard.
White Sand, Elantris 2, & Mistborn Era 3 Are All Next On Brandon Sanderson’s Agenda
We Should Have All Of These Books In The Next Several Years
Brandon Sanderson’s upcoming booksand their scheduled release dates were announced in his annualState of Sandersonblog post, and while they’re all subject to change, the author has consistently been a pro at planning and maintaining his pace. Among theupcoming titles areMistbornEra 3, the long-awaitedElantris, and the novelization ofWhite Sand. The volumes of the upcomingMistborn: Ghostbloodstrilogy are set to be released annually between 2028 and 2030 and should have some of the most drastic Cosmere progressions we’ve seen so far.
Elantris 3
Summer 2030
Elantriswas Brandon Sanderson’s first novel, published in 2005, and is finally getting sequels in 2029 and 2030.The Emperor’s Soulnovella expanded on the stories of the planet Sel, but these sequels will be the first full-length novels in over twenty years. Next, Sanderson is planning a novelization ofWhite Sand, which currently doesn’t have an expected release date.White Sandwas the first book Brandon Sanderson wrote, but he wasn’t able to get it published. He eventually developed it as a graphic novel, but the novelization can expand on certain details with other new books in mind.
One Of These Upcoming Books Needs To Tell Us More About The Seventeenth Shard
All Three Novels Could Provide Extra Context
The Seventeenth Shard was introduced inThe Way of Kings, and Brandon Sanderson didn’t really do much with them throughoutThe Stormlight Archive.We saw them again inWind and Truth, where they decided to leave Roshar, making it off-world just before it would’ve become impossible to do so. From the interlude chapters we saw them in, readers know that this crew’s goal was to find Hoid (Wit on Roshar), but they were unable to do so. Hoid has been on Scadrial for years, fromWind and Truth’sending throughMistbornEra 2.
Given that Brandon Sanderson’sWarbreakersequel was set to explain how Vasher became a worldhopper, the same could be possible for hisElantrissequels.
Elantris 2is going to be set before the events ofThe Stormlight Archive, but the novel should see the return of one of the characters from the Seventeenth Shard. Given that Brandon Sanderson’sWarbreakersequel was set to explain how Vasher became a worldhopper, the same could be possible for hisElantrissequels. As forWhite Sand, the novelization isn’t going to provide any conflicting information to the graphic novels, as Sanderson wants both to be considered canon. That said, supplementary information to fulfill where the Cosmere is at now could be possible.
The Seventeenth Shard’s Members Come From Taldain, Sel, & Scadrial
These Are The Planets Of Upcoming Cosmere Novels
The threemembers of the Seventeenth Shard that were traveling around on Roshar were Demoux, Galladon, and Baon. Demoux was a character initially introduced inThe Final Empire, where he was a devout follower of Kelsier leading up to the catacendre. Galladon was an Elantrian from the planet Sel, and one of the supporting characters in Brandon Sanderson’s first published novel. Baon is a sand master from Taldain, the planet whereWhite Sandis hosted and the god Autonomy is from.
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Given that these characters were last seen leaving Roshar, the fact that there are novels set on each of their respective planets coming out before the end of the decade seems like too good an opportunity to pass off. In some way, Sanderson could provide gradual amounts of additional context to each character in these books. Even though they’re set at different points in the timeline, these novels can still add value to this story. Thebooks can show why Baon and Galladon joined the Seventeenth Shard and possibly Demoux returning to Scadrialafter his time on Roshar.
How The Stormlight Archive Set Up The Seventeenth Shard Narrative For Future Books
The Seventeenth Shard Can Follow Hoid To Scadrial
There are some major factors pertaining to the Seventeenth Shard that lead me to believe thatMistbornEra 3 will include some significant lore reveals relating to them. First, it’s worth noting that Iyatil, one of the Ghostblood antagonists fromThe Stormlight Archive, was previously a member of the Seventeenth Shard before joining up with Kelsier. These are the two major inter-Cosmere organizations we know about, andgiven thatMistbornEra 3 is titled after the Ghostbloods, it makes sense that we’d get a clearer grasp of their situation.
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The Stormlight Archivesynced up withMistbornin meaningful ways due to the effects of the time bubble, with readers now having a straightforward idea of the timeline between the two series. Hoid was zapped from Roshar at the end ofWind and Truth, then was regenerated on Scadrial for the events ofMistbornEra 2. The slowed-down timeline means thatEra 3 will occur just around or beforeThe Stormlight ArchiveArc 2 begins, so the connective continuity matters more than ever. Given what we know about the Seventeenth Shard, it’s the perfect time for an appearance.
The trio of Seventeenth Shard members left Roshar after failing to find Hoid, but now that he’s on Scadrial, it seems like the perfect place to go next. It could have taken them years to determine where he was in the Cosmere, giving them just enough time to pop up byMistbornEra 3.Demoux will be returning to his home planet, and he’d have the chance to meet Kelsier for the first time since before Kelsier’s mortal life ended, with the upcoming trilogy hopefully providing some indication of these organizations' differences.
