Editing The Apocalypse Guard

{{book

|cover=Apocalypse Guard.jpg

|released= unknown

|collaborators=[[Dan Wells]]

}}

'''''The Apocalypse Guard''''' is a planned YA trilogy. Originally planned to connect to the [[Reckoners Multiverse]], it may also connect to the [[Cytoverse]], or possibly neither one if it does not make sense to do so.{{wob ref|13608}} After initial drafts did not work out, it was put on indefinite hold{{sots ref|2019}} but has subsequently seen additional development by Brandon and coauthor [[Dan Wells]].{{wob ref|13641}}{{wob ref|13977}}

Emma is an intern for the Apocalypse Guard, an organization that travels through the multiverse to avert world-ending events. While dealing with one of these threats, the Apocalypse Guard itself is attacked and Emma lands on a planet shortly before it will end. She must either find a way off-world or put the Guard's plan into action with no training, no powers, and only one guy for tech support.{{sots ref|2016}}{{wob ref|1485}}

;Emma: The main character. She's a summer intern at mission control for the Apocalypse Guard when it's attacked. As a result, she's thrown into a doomed world and must find the Guard or another way off the planet before it's destroyed.{{ref|name=guard-brandon}}

''The Apocalypse Guard'' takes place in a multiverse where only a fraction of all worlds are stable, with the vast majority being mere possibilities. Unfortunately, these stable realities are constantly facing world-ending events. The Apocalypse Guard is an organization of scientists, engineers, and individuals with extraordinary abilities dedicated to creating and enacting plans to avert these events if possible, or evacuating the planet if not.{{ref|name=guard-brandon}}

Emma lands on a world surrounded by an envelope of water in imminent danger of collapsing and flooding the planet. The idea was inspired by the [[wikipedia:Firmament|firmament]], the biblical concept of a vast dome separating "the waters above" (in the sky) from "the waters below" on Earth.{{wob ref|1485}}

Brandon has indicated that the series may connect elements from the [[Cytoverse]] and the [[Reckoners Multiverse]], but that getting the book right and allowing it to stand on its own takes precedence.{{wob ref|13608}}

===Concept and Postponement===

Brandon first mentioned the series at the release party for ''[[Shadows of Self]]''.{{wob ref|6424}} It was then obliquely referenced in the 2015 [[State of the Sanderson]] as a "New YA Series".{{sots ref|2015}} Brandon then officially announced the project in 2016, and revealed concept cover art.{{ref|name=guard-brandon}} After the completion of ''[[Oathbringer]]'' in June 2017, Brandon began the first draft of ''The Apocalypse Guard'', planning on writing the full trilogy straight through before the release of the first book, something he had not been able to do since [[Mistborn Era 1|Era 1 of ''Mistborn'']].{{ref|name=ofs}}

Publishing rights were originally acquired by the Random House imprint Delacorte Press (also the publishers of ''The Reckoners'').

{{quote

|The Apocalypse Guard series is set in a world parallel to that of the Reckoners, and an organization of superpowered individuals is at its center. Their collective objective is to save doomed planets, until the day something goes horribly wrong and it is up to one young member of the guard to fix things before time runs out for her and the planet she calls home.<br />

Publication of the first book in the series is planned for mid 2018.

|From Delacorte Press's press release{{tor ref|/2016/03/01/brandon-sanderson-announces-new-apocalypse-guard-book-trilogy/|''Apocalypse Guard'' announcement|date=2016-03-01}}

}}

Brandon announced the completion of the first draft of the first book on September 1st, 2017.{{tweet ref|903763900813811712|Completion of ''The Apocalypse Guard'' First Draft announcement|date=2017-09-01}} While working on the second draft, and in conversations with his editor, various issues with the book were found. While Brandon initially attempted to revise the book to fix these issues, he felt that the changes were instead making the book worse, and so he decided to shelve the project as he did not believe he could fix it in the time required for a 2018 release.{{sots ref|2017}} After Brandon pulled the book, he still needed to complete a project for Delacorte/Random House, which led to him prioritizing work on the [[Skyward (series)|''Skyward'' series]].{{sots ref|2017}}{{sots ref|2018}}

===Revival and Collaboration===

At the release party for ''[[Oathbringer]]'', Brandon announced that [[Dan Wells]]—a close friend and fellow member of [[Writing Excuses]]—would be collaborating with him on ''The Apocalypse Guard'' going forward.{{wob ref|8581}} Brandon planned to give Dan time to alter the books as he saw fit before returning to collaborate with him on the final version.{{wob ref|9622}} One of the structural changes made by Brandon and Dan was the removal of one of the magic systems they had considered "foundational to the story".{{ref|name=WE-14.35}} As the revisions continued, the book "got weirder".{{sots ref|2018}} By late 2019, Dan had finished a revision that Brandon described as "pretty good", but neither of them was totally satisfied with the result and the project was shelved indefinitely.{{wob ref|13257}} In December 2019, Brandon said he had no immediate plans to try to make the book work, and that it might be dead.{{sots ref|2019}}

In March 2020, Brandon indicated that he might have figured out how to fix the remaining problems, and was planning to try to work on the book, along with [[Dawnshard (novella)|''Dawnshard'']], after he finished revisions for ''[[Rhythm of War]]''.{{wob ref|13641}}{{wob ref|13977}} ''Dawnshard'' ended up being much longer than expected;{{url ref|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dragonsteel/the-way-of-kings-10th-anniversary-leatherbound-edition/posts/2986075|text=''The Way of Kings'' leatherbound Kickstarter update #21|site=Kickstarter}} the current timeline for publishing ''The Apocalypse Guard'' would be sometime after ''Skyward 4''.{{sots ref|2020}}

If the first book works out, there would likely still be sequels, as Brandon has enjoyed working with Dan.{{wob ref|13646}}

== Concept Art ==

<gallery caption="Concept Art" mode="packed" heights=200px>

The Apocalypse Guard - Zoba by Kelley Harris.jpg| <small><center>by {{a|Kelley Harris}}</center></small>Zoba

The Apocalypse Guard Concept - Oracle by Kelley Harris.jpg| <small><center>by {{a|Kelley Harris}}</center></small>Oracle

The Apocalypse Guard Concept - Emma by Kelley Harris.jpg| <small><center>by {{a|Kelley Harris}}</center></small>Emma

The Apocalypse Guard Concept - Lineup by Kelley Harris.jpg| <small><center>by {{a|Kelley Harris}}</center></small>Full cast

</gallery>

{{bws ref|name=guard-brandon|the-apocalypse-guard|The Apocalypse Guard|date=2016-03-03}}

{{bws ref|name=ofs|oathbringers-final-step|Oathbringer's Final Step|date=2017-08-31}}

|date=2016-03-04

|date=2016-03-04

{{url ref|name=WE-14.35

|url=https://writingexcuses.com/transcripts/14-35/

|text=Writing Excuses episode 14.35: What You Leave Out transcript

|site=WritingExcuses.com

|date=2019-09-01

}}