Knight Life
| Knight Life | |
|---|---|
| Released | Not applicable |
Knight Life is an unpublished fantasy comedy novel completed in 1999.[1] It is the fourth novel that Brandon Sanderson wrote.
Plot[edit]
Through a series of errors and misunderstandings, the hero of the book is accidentally signed up to participate in gladiatorial combat with the current champion—a huge barbarian. Over the course of the book, everyone tells the hero that he has no chance of beating the champion, and he tries to find a way out of the battle. However, the hero notices small clues over time and figures out that the champion has a heart problem. In the climactic battle, the hero runs around the outside of the arena until the barbarian dies of a heart attack.[2]
Development[edit]
Brandon has described Knight Life as his attempt at a Bob Asprin-style adventure comedy that was "mostly cringe, with a little bit of actual comedy".[3] Some of the jokes were almost intentionally unfunny, such as the barbarian wielding a metal carrot instead of a sword. In retrospect, Brandon feels like many of the jokes did not work, although he likes the ending.[2]
Future[edit]
Knight Life got shelved as the cosmere began to take shape,[4][5] and Brandon has not mentioned any serious attempts to revive it. Bits of it got repurposed into the Alcatraz series.[5]
It is possible that Knight Life could be released in a future Dragonsteel Kickstarter as part of the Sanderson Curiosities series. However, it is not close to the quality level of other early works like The Way of Kings Prime, and it may be years before Brandon would consider publishing it.[3]