Brandon Sanderson has to pull off a game-changing time jump soonwithThe Stormlight Archive, and he’s already proven the best way to do it withMistborn. December 2024 will be a big month for Sanderson fans, asThe Stormlight Archivebook 5,Wind and Truth,will be released. The series, which began withThe Way of Kingsin 2010, is commonly considered to be the author’s magnum opus despite not being his most widely-read work. That claim to fame goes to theMistbornseries, which has already progressed through two full sagas across seven books.
Wind and Truthis thefifth volume ofThe Stormlight Archive, a series that is set to be explored in two five-book sagas. 2020’sRhythm of Warlaid the groundwork for the final volume, with a climactic contest of champions set to ensue between Dalinar and Odium, representing the opposing forces of good and evil.Following the fifth book’s climactic ending, readers should expect a time jump that will change the landscape of the events on Roshar, establishing the world for the remaining five novels.
Mistborn Made Massive World-Building Changes After A 300-Year Time Jump
Mistborn Pulled Off One Of Fantasy’s Most Impressive Time Jumps
MistbornEra 2 is the perfect combination of new and familiar material
Brandon Sanderson accomplished something unusual for popular fantasy genre novels withMistborn. The “Acknowledgments” section of book 4,The Alloy of Law, explains that Sanderson “wanted to move away from the idea of fantasy worlds as static places, where millennia would pass and technology would never change.“Three hundred years is an enormous jump for a story to take, leaving readers with minimal characters and narrative elementsof the world they recognize and love. WhileMistbornEra 2 arguably isn’t as strong as the original trilogy, the time jump works to its advantage.
First, it’s essential to explain why this transition works so well. With theCosmere book universespanning such a vast area of time and space, the stories must be continuously dynamic. Sanderson’s goal is to construct a fantasy epic that far surpasses the likes ofThe Wheel of Timein scale, covering a variety of genres and narrative aesthetics while maintaining one overarching story. While Sanderson had previously kept the Cosmere engaging across different worlds,the time jump betweenMistbornEra 1 and 2 is the first instance he proved he could keep things engaging through time.
Wind And Truth’s Cover Easter Egg May Confirm How Dalinar Beats The Stormlight Archive’s Big Villain
The cover art for Brandon Sanderson’s upcoming book, Wind and Truth, reveals an Easter egg that could hint at how Dalinar can defeat Odium.
MistbornEra 2 is the perfect combination of new and familiar material, allowing space for nostalgia while keeping forward momentum in the overarching narrative. The characters may not be as compelling, butEra 2 shows that Sanderson’s mastery of world-building and magic systems can flow naturally through time. Now, he’ll be tasked with a similar challenge going forward withThe Stormlight Archive.
The Stormlight Archive Has A Much Shorter Time Jump
While nothing is set in stone, Brandon Sanderson has previously stated thatthe time jump between books 5 and 6 ofThe Stormlight Archivewill be ten years. Of course, this isn’t nearly as massive asMistborn’sjump, which saw its world totally refreshed between novels. Ten years can still be significant, depending onWind and Truth’soutcome. With five books still to go and such a pivotal climax coming up, theories surrounding the novel have suggested the book ending in a loss for Dalinar and humankind on Roshar.
A defeat at the hands of Odium could result in an immediate, stark contrast in the world shown in book 6. However,the main goal shouldn’t be to make as many changes as possible; it should be to display meaningful change. For example, inMistbornEra 2, the changes in the world’s government and urban landscape are meant to demonstrate a new manner of oppression centuries after the Lord Ruler’s forceful oppression of the Ska had ended. By Era 2, corruption and oppression are hidden under a veil of public image and propaganda, creating valuable thematic depth.
The Stormlight Archive Book 6 Needs To Show Literal And Thematic Change
RHYTHM OF WARby Michael Whelan
Brandon Sanderson has already laid the foundations forThe Stormlight Archive’stime jump changes throughout the series. Theworld of Roshar changed drastically with the return of the Knight’s Radiant, and byRhythm of War, engineers have combined magic and technology to develop an airship. There’s plenty of room with Fabrial devices for Sanderson to continue making drastic technological jumps after book 5, and this is one area in which readers should expect tangible changes.
Wind And Truth Needs To Break Brandon Sanderson’s Most Ridiculous Book Record
One insane Brandon Sanderson record will be The Stormlight Archive book 5’s biggest challenge to overcome, and it certainly won’t be easy.
In terms of a tonal shift,The Stormlight Archivebook 6 will likely see some drastic changes in one way or another. It’s hard to predict what these will be without having readWind and Truth, butthe series wouldn’t be divided into two arcs if there wasn’t going to be a recognizable shift. Similar to howMistborn’stime jump allows for new thematic exploration,The Stormlight Archivewill have to keep its material fresh and dynamic with new outlooks on the series' main underlying messages, possibly reexamining Dalinar and Taravangian’s ideologies in the aftermath of what happens.
The Stormlight Archive
The Stormlight Archive is an epic fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson, set on the storm-ravaged world of Roshar. The series follows multiple characters, each with their unique storylines, as they navigate political intrigue, ancient prophecies, and powerful magic. Central to the story are the Knights Radiant, legendary warriors with magical abilities who must return to save their world from impending destruction. The series explores themes of honor, leadership, and the burden of power.
