Acknowledgements

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Acknowledgements and dedications in Brandon's books.

Often acknowledged are:

• Brandon's wife Emily, and his children and other family members
• Members of Team Sanderson; Peter Ahlstrom
• Agent Joshua Bilmes from JABerwocky
• Tor editor Moshe Feder

Alcatraz

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians

Dedication

For my father, Winn Sanderson, who bought me books

Acknowledgements

Thanks to my agents, Joshua Bilmes (who single-handedly transformed this manuscript from being a whimsical idea into a full-blown super-project) and Steve Mancino, who exceeded my expectations wildly in finding the book a home.

And, speaking of that home, Anica Rissi – my editor at Scholastic – took fantastic care of this book, helping make it the best book possible. Her tireless work is well appreciated, and the same goes for all of the wonderful people over at Scholastic.

As for alpha readers, I’d like to thank Stacy Whitman, Heather Kirby, Kristina Kugler, Peter and Karen Ahlstrom, Kaylynn ZoBell, Isaac Thegn Skarstedt, Ethan Skarstedt, Leif Ethan Skarstedt, Benjamin R. Olsen, Matisse Hales, Lauren Sanderson, Alan Layton, Janette Layton, Nathan Hatfield, Krista Olsen, C. Lee Player, Eric J. Ehlers, and Emily Sanderson. Special thanks to my grandmother, Beth Sanderson, for suggesting this project.

Also, I’d like to give a special acknowledgment to Janci Patterson who worked tirelessly to slay the typo demons in this manuscript. (Not that I didn’t manage to sneak a few more in afterward.)

Finally, a thanks to all of the evil librarians out there. It’s partially their fault that I ended up being a writer instead of something useful, like a plumber or a foghorn repair technician. It’s poetic justice that I would now use my nefarious talent to expose you all for what you really are.

People

• Joshua Bilmes
• Steve Mancino
• Anica Rissi
• Stacy Whitman
• Heather Kirby
• Kristina Kugler
• Peter and Karen Ahlstrom
• Kaylynn ZoBell
• Isaac Thegn Skarstedt
• Ethan Skarstedt
• Leif Ethan Skarstedt
• Benjamin R. Olsen
• Matisse Hales
• Lauren Sanderson
• Alan Layton
• Janette Layton
• Nathan Hatfield
• Krista Olsen
• C. Lee Player
• Eric J. Ehlers
• Emily Sanderson
• Beth Sanderson
• Janci Patterson

Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia

Dedication

For Lauren, who somehow manages to be both the baby of the family and the most responsible one of us all

Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones

Dedication

For Jane, who does her best to keep me looking fashionable, and does it in such an endearing way that I can’t even convince myself to wear mismatched socks anymore (except on Thursdays)

Acknowledgements

I want to thank my awesome agent, Joshua Bilmes, for being, well, awesome. Thanks also to my editor at Scholastic, Jennifer Rees, whose pleasant personality and editorial know-how make the process of publishing a book so much easier. Peter and Karen Ahlstrom were kind enough to read the manuscript and give me excellent suggestions. Janci Patterson also gave me feedback that was very valuable, even though her comments were written in glaring pink ink! I’d like to thank my lovely wife, Emily Sanderson, who helped with this book in ways too numerous to list here. Finally, a special thank-you goes to Mrs. Bushman’s sixth-grade students (you know who you are!) who have been so enthusiastic about my books.

People

• Joshua Bilmes
• Jennifer Rees
• Peter and Karen Ahlstrom
• Janci Patterson
• Emily Sanderson
• Mrs. Bushman’s sixth-grade students

Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens

Dedication

For Peter Ahlstrom

Who is not only a good friend and great man,

But one who has been reading my books since the days when they were terrible,

And who strives very hard to keep them from being that way again.

Insoluble, Incalculable, Indefinable.

Indispensible.

Acknowledgements

For help with these books, I proclaim the following people honorary Bazooka Bunnies:

The Indefinable Peter Ahlstrom, for whom the book is dedicated. He’s believed in me longer than anyone else on the list. Without his help, my books would be a lot worse.

Emily Sanderson, who (despite my various lunacies) still loves me, puts up with me, and even married me.

Karen Ahlstrom, who gives great advice, and who also puts up with Peter reading her my books for date night.

Janci Olds, who tells me what I need to hear about my writing. Bastille may be based on her just a tad, but don’t tell her, because she might end up chasing me around with a sword.

Kristina Kugler, who taught her two-year-old daughter to put her fingers up to her mouth and wiggle them when someone asks, ‘What does Cthulu say?’ (Does she need a better reason than that for an acknowledgment? Well, okay, she read the book too and gave lots of great feedback.)

Joshua Bilmes, who fights for these books. He’s our own personal Knight of Crystallia.

Jen Rees, who provides a sharp red pencil to fight off the goblins of bad writing.

Thank you all!

People

• Peter Ahlstrom (indefinable)
• Emily Sanderson
• Karen Ahlstrom
• Janci Olds
• Kristina Kugler
• Joshua Bilmes
• Jen Rees

Elantris

Dedication

Dedicated to my mother,

    Who wanted a doctor,
            Ended up with a writer,
    But loved him enough not to complain
            (Very much).

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank my agent, Joshua Bilmes, and my editor, Moshe Feder, for helping me squeeze the fullest potential out of this manuscript. Without their masterful editorial vision, you'd be holding a very different book right now.

Next, high praise and thanks must be offered to the members of my various writing groups. Alan Layton, Janette Layton, Kaylynn ZoBell, and Ethan Skarstedt. Daniel Wells, Benjamin R. Olsen, Nathan Goodrich, and Peter Ahlstrom. Ryan Dreher, Micah Demoux, Annie Gorringe, and Tom Conrad. (You guys were a writing group, even if you didn’t know it!) Thank you all so much for your work and suggestions.

In addition, there are dozens of people who read this book and others during my years struggling to get published, and I am inexpressibly grateful for their enthusiasm, criticism, and praise. Kristina Kugler, Megan Kauffman, Izzy Whiting, Eric Ehlers, Greg Creer, Ethan Sproat, Robert ZoBell, Deborah Anderson, Laura Bellamy, Mr. M, Kraig Hausmann, Nate Hatfield, Steve Frandson, Robison E. Wells, and Krista Olsen. If I forgot anyone, I'll get you in the next book!

I'd also like to give special thanks to those teachers who have helped me in my university career. Professors Sally Taylor, Dennis Perry, and John Bennion (who worked on my master's thesis committee). Professor Jacqueline Thursby for her faith in me. Dave Wolverton, who sent me out into the world, and Professor Douglas Thayer, whom I'll someday convince to read a fantasy book. (He's getting a copy of this one, whether he wants it or not!)

Finally, I'd like to thank my family. My father for buying me books when I was a kid, my mother for turning me into a scholar, my sisters for their smiles, and Jordan for putting up with a domineering older brother. You can check out his programming skills—along with Jeff Creer's amazing artistic design—on my Web site, www.brandonsanderson.com.

Thank you so much, everyone, for believing in me.

People

• Alan Layton
• Annie Gorringe
• Benjamin R. Olsen
• Daniel Wells
• Dave Wolverton
• Deborah Anderson
• Dennis Perry
• Douglas Thayer
• Ethan Skarstedt
• Eric Ehlers
• Ethan Sproat
• Greg Creer
• Izzy Whiting
• Jacqueline Thursby
• Janette Layton
• John Bennion
• Joshua Bilmes
• Kaylynn ZoBell
• Kraig Hausmann
• Krista Olsen
• Kristina Kugler
• Laura Bellamy
• Megan Kauffman
• Micah Demoux
• Mr. M
• Moshe Feder
• Nate Hatfield
• Nathan Goodrich
• Peter Ahlstrom
• Robert ZoBell
• Robison E. Wells
• Ryan Dreher
• Sally Taylor
• Steve Frandson
• Tom Conrad

The Emperor's Soul

Dedication

For Lucie Tuan and Sherry Wang,
who provided inspiration.

Acknowledgements

A book like this goes out with one name on the cover, yet artwork is not created in a vacuum. What I create can only exist because of the numerous shoulders I rely upon.

I've mentioned elsewhere that this book came to be because of a trip I took to Taiwan. Many thanks go to Lucie Tuan and Sherry Wang, to whom the book is dedicated, for showing me around the city. Also, I'd like to thank Evanna Hsu and everyone else at Fantasy Foundation for making that trip such a powerful experience. Many thanks to Gray Tan (my Taiwan agent) who facilitated the trip, and to my U.S. agent Joshua Bilmes and everyone else at JABberwocky.

Jacob Weisman and Jill Roberts at Tachyon have been absolutely wonderful to work with, and I thank them for giving this work a home in print. Also, thank you to Marty Halpern for the copyedit and proofread. The great cover illustration comes from Alexander Nanitchkov, and I couldn't have asked for better. Isaac Stewart used that illustration for the ebook's cover design, and he also provided a great seal illustration. Thanks!

Mary Robinette Kowal is responsible for the current structure of the novella; she helped me realize my original prologue wasn't the best for the integrity of the work. Moshe Feder went above and beyond his job description (at a different publisher) to offer me fantastic line edits, without which this book would have been much the poorer. I also got important feedback from Brian Hill, Isaac Stewart, and Karen Ahlstrom.

As always, I give loving thanks to my family, particularly my wife Emily. In addition, special thanks go out to the interpolated Peter Ahlstrom, who worked long hours on this project. (Even so far as to nudge me to get this acknowledgements page written after I'd forgotten to do so about a dozen times.)

You have my deepest gratitude, all of you.

Brandon

People

• Alexander Nanitchkov
• Brian Hill
• Emily Sanderson
• Evanna Hsu
• Fantasy Foundation
• Gray Tan
• Jacob Weisman
• Jill Roberts
• Karen Ahlstrom
• Lucie Tuan
• Marty Halpern
• Mary Robinette Kowal
• Sherry Wang
• Isaac Stewart
• Joshua Bilmes
• Moshe Feder
• Peter Ahlstrom (interpolated)

Legion

Acknowledgements

As always, my wonderful wife Emily gets a big thumbs-up for dealing with the sometimes erratic life of a professional writer. The incumbent Peter Ahlstrom did quite a bit of special work on this project. Another person of note is Moshe Feder, who gave me one of my very early reads on this book—and who discussed thoughts, possibilities, and conjectures regarding it from its earliest days.

My agent, Joshua Bilmes, has been his usual awesome self. Other early readers include Brian T. Hill, Dominique Nolan, Kaylynn ZoBell, Ben Olsen, Danielle Olsen, Karen Ahlstrom, Dan Wells, Alan Layton, and Ethan Skarstedt.

A special thanks to Subterranean Press for giving this work a place in print. Bill Schafer and Yanni Kuznia have been fantastic. I'm also very pleased that the print edition has another beautiful cover by Jon Foster, whose work also graced the original Mistborn hardcovers. The ebook features a cover design by Isaac Stewart. Thanks!

People

• Alan Layton
• Ben Olsen
• Bill Schafer
• Brian T. Hill
• Dan Wells
• Danielle Olsen
• Dominique Nolan
• Emily Sanderson
• Ethan Skarstedt
• Jon Foster
• Joshua Bilmes
• Karen Ahlstrom
• Kaylynn ZoBell
• Moshe Feder
• Peter Ahlstrom (incumbent)
• Yanni Kuznia

Mistborn

The Final Empire

Dedication

       FOR BETH SANDERSON,
   Who’s been reading fantasy
       For longer than I've been alive,
   And fully deserves
       To have a grandson as loony as she is.

Acknowledgements

Once again, I find myself in need of thanking my wonderful agent, Joshua Bilmes, and equally amazing editor, Moshe Feder. They did a wonderful job with this book, and I'm proud to have the opportunity to work with them.

As always, my tireless writing groups have consistently provided feedback and encouragement: Alan Layton, Janette Layton, Kaylynne ZoBell, Nate Hatfield, Bryce Cundick, Kimball Larsen, and Emily Scorup. Alpha readers, who saw a version of this book in a much rougher form and helped me shape it into what you see now, included Krista Olson, Benjamin R. Olson, Micah Demoux, Eric Ehlers, Izzy Whiting, Stacy Whitman, Kristina Kugler, Megan Kauffman, Sarah Bylund, C. Lee Player, Ethan Skarstedt, Jillena O'Brien, Ryan Jurado, and the incalculable Peter Ahlstrom.

There are also a few people in particular whom I would like to thank. Isaac Stewart, who did the map work for this novel, was an invaluable resource both in the idea department and with visual cues. Heather Kirby had excellent advice to help me with the mysterious inner workings of a young woman’s mind.

In addition, I'd like to acknowledge some of the very important people who work behind the scenes on the books that you buy. Irene Gallo, the art director at Tor, does a brilliant job—it's because of her that both this book and Elantris have the wonderful covers that they do. Also, David Moench, in the Tor publicity department, went far beyond the call of duty in helping make Elantris a success. Both have my thanks.

Finally, as always, I am thankful to my family for their continued support and enthusiasm.

In particular, I'd like to thank my brother, Jordan, for his enthusiasm, support, and loyalty. Check out his handiwork at my Web site: www.brandonsanderson.com.

People

• Joshua Bilmes
• Moshe Feder
• Alan Layton
• Janette Layton
• Kaylynne ZoBell
• Nate Hatfield
• Bryce Cundick
• Kimball Larsen
• Emily Scorup
• Krista Olson
• Benjamin R. Olson
• Micah Demoux
• Eric Ehlers
• Izzy Whiting
• Stacy Whitman
• Kristina Kugler
• Megan Kauffman
• Sarah Bylund
• C. Lee Player
• Ethan Skarstedt
• Jillena O’Brien
• Ryan Jurado
• Peter Ahlstrom (incalculable)
• Isaac Stewart
• Heather Kirby
• Irene Gallo
• David Moench
• Jordan Sanderson

The Well of Ascension

Dedication

For Phyllis Call,

Who may never understand my fantasy books,
yet who taught me more about life
—and therefore writing—
than she can probably ever know

(Thanks, Grandma!)

Acknowledgements

First off, as always, my excellent agent, Joshua Bilmes, and editor, Moshe Feder, deserve high praise for their efforts. This book in particular required some thoughtful drafting, and they were up to the task. They have my thanks, as do their assistants, Steve Mancino (an excellent agent in his own right) and Denis Wong.

There are some other fine folks at Tor who deserve my thanks. Larry Yoder (the best sales rep in the nation) did a wonderful job selling the book. Seth Lerner, Tor’s mass-market art director, is a genius at matching books to artists. And, speaking of artists, I think the amazing Christian McGrath did a brilliant job with this cover. More can be seen at jonfoster.com. Isaac Stewart, a good friend of mine and a fellow writer, did all of the map work and the symbols for the chapter headings. Find him at nethermore.com. Shawn Boyles is the official Mistborn Llama artist, and a great guy to boot. Check my Web site for more information. Finally, I’d like to thank the Tor publicity department—specifically Dot Lin—which has been wonderful in promoting my books and taking care of me. Thank you so much, all of you!

Another round of thanks needs to go out to my alpha readers. These tireless folks provide feedback on my novels in the early stages, dealing with all of the problems, typos, and inconsistencies before I get them worked out. In no particular order, these people are:

Ben Olson, Krista Olsen, Nathan Goodrich, Ethan Skarstedt, Eric J. Ehlers, Jillena O’Brien, C. Lee Player, Kimball Larsen, Bryce Cundick, Janci Patterson, Heather Kirby, Sally Taylor, The Almighty Pronoun, Bradley Reneer, Holly Venable, Jimmy, Alan Layton, Janette Layton, Kaylynn ZoBell, Rick Stranger, Nate Hatfield, Daniel A. Wells, Stacy Whitman, Sarah Bylund, and Benjamin R. Olsen.

A special thanks goes to the people at the Provo Waldenbooks for their support. Sterling, Robin, Ashley, and the terrible duo of Steve “Bookstore Guy” Diamond and Ryan McBride (who were also alpha readers). Also, I must acknowledge my brother, Jordan, for his work on my Web site (along with Jeff Creer). Jordo also is the official “keep Brandon’s head on straight” guy, with his solemn duty being to make fun of me and my books.

My mother, father, and sisters are always a wonderful help as well. If I forgot any alpha readers, I’m sorry! I’ll put you in twice next time. Note, Peter Ahlstrom, I didn’t forget you—I just decided to stick you in late to make you sweat a bit.

Finally, my thanks go out to my wonderful wife, whom I married during the editing process of this book. Emily, I love you!

People

• Joshua Bilmes
• Moshe Feder
• Steve Mancino
• Denis Wong
• Larry Yoder
• Seth Lerner
• Christian McGrath
• Isaac Stewart
• Shawn Boyles
• Dot Lin
• Ben Olson
• Krista Olsen
• Nathan Goodrich
• Ethan Skarstedt
• Eric J. Ehlers
• Jillena O’Brien
• C. Lee Player
• Kimball Larsen
• Bryce Cundick
• Janci Patterson
• Heather Kirby
• Sally Taylor
• The Almighty Pronoun
• Bradley Reneer
• Holly Venable
• Jimmy
• Alan Layton
• Janette Layton
• Kaylynn ZoBell
• Rick Stranger
• Nate Hatfield
• Daniel A. Wells
• Stacy Whitman
• Sarah Bylund
• Benjamin R. Olsen
• the Provo Waldenbooks - Sterling, Robin, Ashley, Steve “Bookstore Guy” Diamond, Ryan McBride
• Jordan Sanderson
• Jeff Creer
• Peter Ahlstrom
• Emily Sanderson

The Hero of Ages

Dedication

FOR JORDAN SANDERSON,

Who can explain to any who ask

What it’s like to have a brother

Who spends most of his time dreaming.

(Thanks for putting up with me.)

Acknowledgements

As always, I owe a whole lot of people a whole lot of thanks for helping make this book what it is today. First and foremost, my editor and my agent—Moshe Feder and Joshua Bilmes—are to be noted for their exceptional ability to help a project reach its fullest potential. Also, my wonderful wife, Emily, has been a great support and aid to the writing process.

As before, Isaac Stewart (Nethermore.com) did the fine map work, chapter symbols, and circle of Allomantic metals. I truly appreciate Jon Foster’s artwork as well; this time it’s resulted in my personal favorite of the three Mistborn covers. Thanks to Larry Yoder for being awesome, and Dot Lin for her publicity work for me at Tor. Denis Wong and Stacy Hague-Hill for their assistance to my editor, and the—as always—marvelous Irene Gallo for her art direction.

Alpha readers for this book include Paris Elliott, Emily Sanderson, Krista Olsen, Ethan Skarstedt, Eric J. Ehlers, Eric “More Snooty” James Stone, Jillena O’Brien, C. Lee Player, Bryce Cundick/Moore, Janci Patterson, Heather Kirby, Sally Taylor, Bradley Reneer, Steve “Not Bookstore Guy Anymore” Diamond, General Micah Demoux, Zachary “Spook” J. Kaveney, Alan Layton, Janette Layton, Kaylynn ZoBell, Nate Hatfield, Matthew Chambers, Kristina Kugler, Daniel A. Wells, The Indivisible Peter Ahlstrom, Marianne Pease, Nicole Westenskow, Nathan Wood, John David Payne, Tom Gregory, Rebecca Dorff, Michelle Crowley, Emily Nelson, Natalia Judd, Chelise Fox, Nathan Crenshaw, Madison Van-DenBerghe, Rachel Dunn, and Ben OleSoon.

In addition I’m thankful to Jordan Sanderson—to whom this book is dedicated—for his tireless work on the Web site. Jeff Creer, also, did a great job with the art for BrandonSanderson.com. Stop by and check it out!

People

• Moshe Feder
• Joshua Bilmes
• Emily Sanderson
• Isaac Stewart
• Jon Foster
• Larry Yoder
• Dot Lin
• Denis Wong
• Stacy Hague-Hill
• Irene Gallo
• Paris Elliott
• Krista Olsen
• Ethan Skarstedt
• Eric J. Ehlers
• Eric “More Snooty” James Stone
• Jillena O’Brien
• C. Lee Player
• Bryce Cundick/Moore
• Janci Patterson
• Heather Kirby
• Sally Taylor
• Bradley Reneer
• Steve “Not Bookstore Guy Anymore” Diamond
• General Micah Demoux
• Zachary “Spook” J. Kaveney
• Alan Layton
• Janette Layton
• Kaylynn ZoBell
• Nate Hatfield
• Matthew Chambers
• Kristina Kugler
• Daniel A. Wells
• Peter Ahlstrom (indivisable)
• Marianne Pease
• Nicole Westenskow
• Nathan Wood
• John David Payne
• Tom Gregory
• Rebecca Dorff
• Michelle Crowley
• Emily Nelson
• Natalia Judd
• Chelise Fox
• Nathan Crenshaw
• Madison Van-DenBerghe
• Rachel Dunn
• Ben OleSoon
• Jordan Sanderson
• Jeff Creer

The Alloy of Law

Dedication

FOR JOSHUA BILMES
Who is never afraid to tell me what is wrong with a book, then fight for that same book no matter who else gives up on it.

Acknowledgements

I first pitched the idea of later-era Mistborn novels to my editor back in 2006, I believe. It had long been my plan for Scadrial, the planet these books take place upon. I wanted to move away from the idea of fantasy worlds as static places, where millennia would pass and technology would never change. The plan then was for a second epic trilogy set in an urban era, and a third trilogy set in a futuristic era—with Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy being the common threads that tied them together.

This book isn't part of that second trilogy. It's a side deviation, something exciting that grew quite unexpectedly out of my planning for where the world would go. The point of telling you all of this, however, is to explain that it would be impossible to list all of the people who have helped me along the years. Instead, the best I can do is list some of the wonderful people who helped me with this specific book.

Alpha readers included, as always, my agent, Joshua Bilmes, and my editor, Moshe Feder. This book is dedicated to Joshua, actually. Professionally, he's believed in my work longer than anyone outside my writing group. He has been a wonderful resource and a good friend.

Other alphas were my writing group: Ethan Skarstedt, Dan Wells, Alan & Jeanette Layton, Kaylynn ZoBell, Karen Ahlstrom, Ben & Danielle Olsen, Jordan Sanderson (kind of), and Kathleen Dorsey. Finally, of course, there's the Inseparable Peter Ahlstrom, my assistant and friend, who does all kinds of important things for my writing and doesn't get nearly enough thanks for it.

At Tor Books, thanks go to Irene Gallo, Justin Golenbock, Terry McGarry, and many others I couldn't possibly name—everyone from Tom Doherty to the sales force. Thank you all for your excellent work. Once again, I feel the need to give a special thanks to Paul Stevens, who goes above and beyond what I could reasonably expect to give aid and explanations.

Beta readers included Jeff Creer and Dominique Nolan. A special thanks to Dom for being a resource in regards to weaponry and guns. If you ever need anything shot properly, he’s the one to call.

Note the lovely cover by Chris McGrath, whom I asked for specifically because of his work on the Mistborn paperback covers. Both Ben McSweeney and Isaac Stewart returned to provide interior art for this book, as their work on The Way of Kings was just plain awesome. They've continued in their awesomeness. Ben also provided equally awesome illustrations for the recently released Mistborn RPG from Crafty Games. Check it out at if you're interested in Kelsier’s origin story.

Last of all I’d like to once again thank Emily, my wonderful wife, for her support, commentary, and love.

The Reckoners

Steelheart

Dedication

For Dallin Sanderson, who fights evil each day with his smile

Acknowledgements

People

• Adam Hussey
• Allan Layton
• Austin Hussey
• Barbara Marcus
• Benjamin Rodriguez
• Beverly Horowitz
• Brian Delambre (Brian "By Now You Owe Me Royalties, Brandon" Delambre)
• Brian Hill
• Brian Lipson
• Brian McGinley
• Christopher Paolini
• Dan Wells (Dan "I Wrote Post Apocalyptic Before You" Wells)
• Danielle Olsen
• David West
• Dmoinique Chimina
• Dominique Nolan
• Donald Mustard
• Eddie Schneider
• Emily Sanderson
• James Dashner
• Jason Denzel
• Joel Gotler
• John Berlyne
• John Parker
• Jonathan Weir
• Josh Walker
• Joshua Bilmes
• Judith Haunt
• Kalyani Poluri
• Karen Ahlstrom
• Kathleen Sanderson Dorsey
• Kaylynn Zobell
• Krista Marino
• Kyle Mills
• Mi'chelle Walker
• Michael Trudeau
• Navid McIlhargey
• Paul Christopher
• Paul Samuelson
• Peter Ahlstrom (incandescent)
• Rachel Weinick
• Simon Spanton

The Rithmatist

Dedication

For Joel Sanderson, whose enthusiasm never stops

Acknowledgements

This book has been a long time in the making.

I first started writing it in the spring of 2007, half a year before I was asked to complete the Wheel of Time. My epic fantasy project at the time, titled The Liar of Partinel, just wasn’t working for me. It had too many problems, and rather than continue to try to force it, I found my way into a fun, alternate-world “gearpunk” novel that I titled Scribbler. It was one of those projects I’m prone to do when I’m supposed to be doing something else—an unexpected book that makes my agent shake his head in bemusement.

The book turned out really well, but like most of my off-the-cuff stories, it had some major flaws that I needed to fix in revision. Unfortunately, with the Wheel of Time on my plate, I couldn’t afford the time it would take to revise this story. Beyond that, I didn’t think I could release it, as there’s an implicit promise of something further in the world, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to make good on that promise for many years.

Well, the Wheel of Time is finally done, and I’ve been able to return to Scribbler, which we’ve renamed The Rithmatist. I’m reminded of just how fun this book was. I’m also reminded of the many, many people who gave reads on it over the years. It has now been almost six years since I did the first draft. (Where does all this time go, anyway?) With so much time involved in getting this book ready, I’m worried that I’m going to miss some people. If I do, I’m terribly sorry! Make sure you let me know so I can fix it.

My original writing group on this book included Isaac Stewart, Dan Wells, Sandra Tayler, Janci Patterson, Eric James Stone, and Karla Bennion. They read this in a very early form, and were a huge help in getting it ready. I also want to make note of the early American work The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, which makes an (admittedly altered) appearance in this volume.

Other alpha and beta readers include Chris “Miyabi” King, Josh & Mi’chelle Walker, Ben & Ben Olsen, Kalyani Poluri, Austin Hussey, Jillena O’Brien, Kristina Kugler, C. Lee Player, Brian Hill, Adam Hussey, and Ben McSweeney—who was a valuable alpha reader as well as the artist. We toyed with doing a graphic novel along the way; if you can ever corner him, ask to see some of the test pages for that. They’re awesome.

Stacy Whitman was also very helpful in getting this book ready. (At one time, as an editor, she wanted to buy it. Thanks, Stacy, for your help!) The copyeditor was Deanna Hoak, and deserves your thanks (and mine) for helping make the manuscript less typo-y. (Though I believe it’s beyond the power of any mortal to completely relieve my prose of typos.)

Susan Chang, the book’s editor, and Kathleen Doherty at Tor have been wonderful to work with, and have both been big believers in this book for many years. I’m glad we were finally able to release it. As always, I’d like to thank Moshe Feder for his support, Joshua Bilmes for his agent-fu, and Eddie Schneider for his sub-agent-fu.

A special thanks also goes out to Karen Ahlstrom and the intermittent Peter Ahlstrom. For many years, they believed in this book and pushed me to give it the time and love it deserved.

Finally, as always, I want to thank my family and my loving wife, Emily. They don’t just put up with me; they encourage me to thrive. Thank you.

People

• Isaac Stewart
• Dan Wells
• Sandra Tayler
• Janci Patterson
• Eric James Stone
• and Karla Bennion
• Chris “Miyabi” King
• Josh & Mi’chelle Walker
• Ben & Ben Olsen
• Kalyani Poluri
• Austin Hussey
• Jillena O’Brien
• Kristina Kugler
• C. Lee Player
• Brian Hill
• Adam Hussey
• Ben McSweeney
• Stacy Whitman
• Deanna Hoak
• Susan Chang
• Kathleen Doherty
• Moshe Feder
• Joshua Bilmes
• Eddie Schneider
• Karen Ahlstrom
• Peter Ahlstrom (intermittent)
• Emily Sanderson

The Stormlight Archives

The Way of Kings

Dedication

 For Emily,
   Who is too patient
       Too kindly
         And too wonderful
     For words.
     But I try anyway.

Acknowledgements

I finished the first draft of The Way of Kings in 2003, but I started working on pieces of the book back in the late '90s. Threads of this novel go back even further in my brain. No book of mine has spent longer simmering; I've spent more than a decade building this novel. And so it should be no surprise that a lot of people have helped me with it. It's going to be impossible to mention them all; my memory simply isn't that good. However, there are some major players that I would like to thank most deeply.

First comes my wife, Emily, to whom this book is dedicated. She gave greatly of herself to see the novel come to pass. That included not only reading and giving advice on the manuscript, but giving up her husband during long stretches of writing time. If you readers get a chance to meet her, some thanks might be in order. (She likes chocolate.)

As always, my excellent editor and agent—Moshe Feder and Joshua Bilmes—worked quite hard on this novel. Moshe, by special note, doesn't get paid more when his authors turn in 400k-word monstrosities. But he edited the novel without a word of complaint; his help was invaluable in turning it into the novel you now hold. He also got F. Paul Wilson to check over the medical scenes, to their great benefit.

Special thanks also go to Harriet McDougal, one of the greatest editors of our time, who gave us a read and line edit on this novel out of the goodness of her heart. Wheel of Time fans will know her as the person who discovered, edited, and then married Robert Jordan. She doesn't do much editing these days outside of the Wheel of Time, and so I feel very honored and humbled to have her input and help here. Alan Romanczuk, working with her, should also be thanked for facilitating this edit.

At Tor Books, Paul Stevens has been a huge help. He's been our in-house liaison for my books, and he's done an amazing job. Moshe and I are lucky to have his aid. Likewise, Irene Gallo—the art director—has been wonderfully helpful and patient in dealing with an intrusive author who wanted to do some crazy things with the artwork in his book. Many thanks to Irene, Justin Golenbock, Greg Collins, Karl Gold, Nathan Weaver, Heather Saunders, Meryl Gross, and the entire team at Tor Books. Dot Lin, who was my publicist up until this book's release (and who is now working to put a few extra letters after her name), was a wonderful help not just in publicity, but in giving me advice and a cheering section over in New York. Thank you all.

And speaking of artwork, you may notice that the interior art for this book is far more extensive than what you normally find in an epic fantasy. This is due to the extraordinary efforts of Greg Call, Isaac Stewart, and Ben McSweeney. They worked hard, drafting artwork numerous times to get things right. Ben's work on Shallan's sketchbook pages is simply beautiful, a melding of my best imaginings and his artistic interpretations. Isaac, who also did the interior artwork for the Mistborn novels, went far above and beyond what should reasonably have been expected of him. Late nights and demanding deadlines were the norm for this novel. He is to be commended. (The chapter icons, maps, colored endpages, and Navani notebook pages came from him, if you are wondering.)

As always, my writing group has been an amazing help. The members of it are joined by a few alpha and beta readers. In no particular order, these are: Karen Ahlstrom, Geoff and Rachel Biesinger, Ethan Skarstedt, Nathan Hatfield, Dan Wells, Kaylynn ZoBell, Alan and Jeanette Layton, Janci Olds, Kristina Kugler, Steve Diamond, Brian Delambre, Jason Denzel, Mi'chelle Trammel, Josh Walker, Chris King, Austin and Adam Hussey, Brian T. Hill, and that Ben guy whose name I can't spell right. I'm sure I'm forgetting some of you. You are all wonderful people, and I'd give you Shardblades if I could.

Whew. This is turning into an epic acknowledgments. But there are still a few more people that need notice. The writing of these words is happening right around the one year anniversary of me hiring the Inevitable Peter Ahlstrom as my personal assistant, editorial aid, and extra brain. If you go through previous acknowledgments pages, you'll always find him there. He's been a dear friend of mine, and an advocate of my work, for years. I'm lucky to now have him working for me full time. He got up at three a.m. today to get the last proofread of the book done. When you next see him at a convention, buy him a block of cheese.

I would also be remiss if I didn't thank Tom Doherty for letting me get away with writing this book. It's because of Tom's belief in this project that we were able to get away with the novel being so long, and a personal call from Tom was what managed to get Michael Whelan to do the cover. Tom has given me more here than I probably deserve; this novel (at the length it boasts, with the number of illustrations and artwork it contains) is the type that would make many publishers run away at full speed. This man is the reason Tor consistently releases such awesome books.

Finally, a moment on Michael Whelan's wonderful cover. For those who haven't heard the story, I started reading fantasy novels (indeed, I became a reader in the first place) back as a teenager because of a beautiful Michael Whelan cover painting. He has a unique ability to capture the true soul of a book in a painting—I always knew I could trust a novel with one of his covers. I've dreamed of someday having a painting of his on one of my books. It seemed something I was unlikely ever to receive.

To finally have it happen—and on the novel of my heart that I've been working on for so long—is an amazing honor.

People

• Adam Hussey
• Alan Layton
• Alan Romanczuk
• Austin Hussey
• Ben McSweeney
• Ben Olsen
• Brian Delambre
• Brian T. Hill
• Chris King
• Dan Wells
• Dot Lin
• Emily Sanderson
• Ethan Skarstedt
• F. Paul Wilson
• Geoff Biesinger
• Greg Call
• Greg Collins
• Harriet McDougal
• Heather Saunders
• Irene Gallo
• Isaac Stewart
• Janci Olds
• Jason Denzel
• Jeanette Layton
• Josh Walker
• Joshua Bilmes
• Justin Golenbock
• Karen Ahlstrom
• Karl Gold
• Kaylynn ZoBell
• Kristina Kugler
• Meryl Gross,
• Mi'chelle Trammel
• Michael Whelan
• Moshe Feder
• Nathan Hatfield
• Nathan Weaver
• Paul Stevens
• Peter Ahlstrom (inevitable)
• Rachel Biesinger
• Steve Diamond
• Tom Doherty

Words of Radiance

Dedication

As you might imagine, producing a book in the Stormlight Archive is a major undertaking. It involved almost eighteen months of writing, from outline to final revision, and includes the artwork of four different individuals and the editorial eyes of a whole host of people, not to mention the teams at Tor who do production, publicity, marketing, and everything else a major book needs in order to be successful.

Acknowledgement

As you might imagine, producing a book in the Stormlight Archive is a major undertaking. It involved almost eighteen months of writing, from outline to final revision, and includes the artwork of four different individuals and the editorial eyes of a whole host of people, not to mention the teams at Tor who do production, publicity, marketing, and everything else a major book needs in order to be successful.

For some two decades now, the Stormlight Archive has been my dream—the story I always wished I could tell. The people you’ll read about below quite literally make my dreams a reality, and there aren't words to express my gratitude for their efforts. First in line on this novel needs to be my assistant and primary continuity editor, the incumbent Peter Ahlstrom. He worked very long hours on this book, putting up with my repeated insistence that things which did not fit continuity actually did—eventually persuading me I was wrong far more often than not.

As always, Moshe Feder—the man who discovered me as a writer—did excellent editorial work on the book. Joshua Bilmes, my agent, worked hard on the book in both an agenting and editorial capacity. He's joined by Eddie Schneider, Brady "Words of Bradiance" McReynolds, Krystyna Lopez, Sam Morgan, and Christa Atkinson at the agency. At Tor, Tom Doherty put up with me delivering a book even longer than the last one when I promised to make it shorter. Terry McGarry did the copyediting, Irene Gallo is responsible for the art direction for the cover, Greg Collins for interior design, Brian Lipofsky's team at Westchester Publishing Services for compositing, Meryl Gross and Karl Gold for production, Patty Garcia and her team for publicity. Paul Stevens acted as superman whenever we needed him. A big thanks to all of you.

You may have noticed that this volume, like the one before it, includes amazing art. My vision for the Stormlight Archive has always been of a series that transcended common artistic expectations for a book of its nature. As such, it is an honor to once again have my favorite artist, Michael Whelan, involved in the project. I feel that his cover has captured Kaladin perfectly, and I am extremely grateful for the extra time he spent on the cover—at his own insistence—going through three drafts before he was satisfied. To have endpapers of Shallan as well is more than I had hoped to see for the book, and I'm humbled by how well this whole package came together.

When I pitched the Stormlight Archive, I spoke of having “guest star” artists do pieces for the books here and there. We have our first of those in this novel, for which Dan dos Santos (another of my personal favorite artists, and the man who did the cover for Warbreaker) agreed to do some interior illustrations.

Ben McSweeney graciously returned to do more brilliant sketchbook pages for us, and he is a pure delight to work with. Quick to recognize what I want, sometimes even when I'm not quite sure what I want, I've rarely met a person who mixes talent and professionalism in the way Ben does. You can find more of his art at InkThinker.net.

A long time ago, almost ten years now, I met a man named Isaác Stewart who—in addition to being an aspiring writer—was an excellent artist, particularly when it came to things like maps and symbols. I started collaborating with him on books (starting with Mistborn) and he eventually set me up on a blind date with a woman named Emily Bushman—whom I subsequently married. So needless to say, I owe Isaac a few big favors. With each progressive book he works on, that debt on my part grows greater as I see the amazing work he has done. This year, we decided to make his involvement a little more official as I hired him full-time to be an in-house artist and to help me with administrative tasks. So if you see him, welcome him to the team. (And tell him to keep working on his own books, which are quite good.)

Also joining us at Dragonsteel Entertainment is Kara Stewart, Isaac's wife, as our shipping manager. (I actually tried to hire Kara first—and Isaac piped up noting that some of the things I wanted to hire her for, he could do. And it ended up that I got both of them, in a very convenient deal.) She's the one you'll interact with if you order T-shirts, posters, or the like through my website. And she's awesome.

We used a few expert consultants on this book, including Matt Bushman for his songwriting and poetry expertise. Ellen Asher gave some great direction on the scenes with horses, and Karen Ahlstrom was an additional poetry and song consultant. Mi'chelle Walker acted as Alethi handwriting consultant. Finally, Elise Warren gave us some very nice notes relating to the psychology of a key character. Thank you all for lending me your brains.

This book had an extensive beta read done under some strict time constraints, and so a hearty bridgeman salute goes to those who participated. They are: Jason Denzel, Mi'chelle Walker, Josh Walker, Eric Lake, David Behrens, Joel Phillips, Jory Phillips, Kristina Kugler, Lyndsey Luther, Kim Garrett, Layne Garrett, Brian Delambre, Brian T. Hill, Alice Arneson, Bob Kluttz, and Nathan Goodrich.

Proofreaders at Tor include Ed Chapman, Brian Connolly, and Norma Hoffman. Community proofreaders include Adam Wilson, Aubree and Bao Pham, Blue Cole, Chris King, Chris Kluwe, Emily Grange, Gary Singer, Jakob Remick, Jared Gerlach, Kelly Neumann, Kendra Wilson, Kerry Morgan, Maren Menke, Matt Hatch, Patrick Mohr, Richard Fife, Rob Harper, Steve Godecke, Steve Karam, and Will Raboin.

My writing group managed to get through about half of the book, which is a lot, considering how long the novel is. They are an invaluable resource to me. Members are: Kaylynn ZoBell, Kathleen Dorsey Sanderson, Danielle Olsen, Ben-son-son-Ron, E. J. Patten, Alan Layton, and Karen Ahlstrom.

And finally, thanks to my loving (and rambunctious) family. Joel, Dallin, and little Oliver help keep me humble each day by always making me be the "bad guy" who gets beat up. My forgiving wife, Emily, put up with a lot this past year, as tours grew long, and I'm still not sure what I did to deserve her. Thank you all for making my world one of magic.

People

• Adam Wilson
• Alan Layton
• Alice Arneson
• Aubree Pham
• Bao Pham
• Ben McSweeney
• Ben-son-son-Ron
• Blue Cole
• Bob Kluttz
• Brady McReynolds
• Brian Connolly
• Brian Delambre
• Brian Lipofsky
• Brian T. Hill
• Chris King
• Chris Kluwe
• Christa Atkinson
• Dallin Sanderson
• Dan dos Santos
• Danielle Olsen
• David Behrens
• E. J. Patten
• Ed Chapman
• Eddie Schneider
• Elise Warren
• Ellen Asher
• Emily Grange
• Emily Sanderson
• Eric Lake
• Gary Singer
• Greg Collins
• Irene Gallo
• Isaac Stewart
• Jakob Remick
• Jared Gerlach
• Jason Denzel
• Joel Phillips
• Joel Sanderson
• Jory Phillips
• Josh Walker
• Joshua Bilmes
• Kara Stewar
• Karen Ahlstrom
• Karen Ahlstrom.
• Karl Gold
• Kathleen Dorsey Sanderson
• Kaylynn ZoBell
• Kelly Neumann
• Kendra Wilson
• Kerry Morgan
• Kim Garrett
• Kristina Kugler
• Krystyna Lopez
• Layne Garrett
• Lyndsey Luther
• Maren Menke
• Matt Bushman
• Matt Hatch
• Meryl Gross
• Mi'chelle Walker
• Michael Whelan
• Moshe Feder
• Nathan Goodrich
• Norma Hoffman
• Oliver Sanderson
• Patrick Mohr
• Patty Garcia
• Paul Stevens
• Peter Ahlstrom (incumbent)
• Richard Fife
• Rob Harper
• Sam Morgan
• Steve Godecke
• Steve Karam
• Terry McGarry
• Tom Doherty
• Westchester Publishing Services
• Will Raboin

Warbreaker

Dedication

For Emily,
who said yes

Acknowledgements

Working on Warbreaker was an unusual process in some ways; you can read more about it on my website. Suffice it to say that I had a more varied pool of alpha readers than normally, many of whom I know primarily through their handles on my forums. I've tried to get everyone’s names in here, but I'm sure I'm going to miss some. If you are one of those individuals, feel free to email me, and we’ll try to get you in future printings.

The first acknowledgment goes to my lovely wife, Emily Sanderson, whom I married while writing this book. This is the first novel of mine that she had a large hand in by giving me feedback and suggestions, and her help is greatly appreciated. Also, as always, my agent, Joshua Bilmes, and my editor, Moshe Feder, did an extremely large amount of work on this manuscript, taking it from the Second or Third Heightening to at least the Eighth.

At Tor, several people have gone well beyond their call of duty. The first is Dot Lin, my publicist, who has been particularly awesome to work with. Thanks, Dot! And, as always, the tireless efforts of Larry Yoder deserve a note, as well as the excellent work of Tor's art director genius, Irene Gallo. Dan Dos Santos did the cover art of this book, and I strongly suggest you check out his website and his other work, because I think he’s one of the best in the business right now. Also, Paul Stevens deserves a word of thanks for being the in-house liaison for my books.

In the special thanks department, we have Joevans3, and Dreamking47, Louise Simard, Jeff Creer, Megan Kauffman, thelsdj, Megan Hutchins, Izzy Whiting, Janci Olds, Drew Olds, Karla Bennion, Eric James Stone, Dan Wells, Isaac Stewart, Ben Olsen, Greyhound, Demented Yam, D.Demille, Loryn, Kuntry Bumpken, Vadia, U-boat, Tjaeden, Dragon Fly, pterath, BarbaraJ, Shir Hasirim, Digitalbias, Spink Longfellow, amyface, Richard "Captain Goradel" Gordon, Swiggly, Dawn Cawley, Drerio, David B, Mi'chelle Trammel, Matthew R Carlin, Ollie Tabooger, John Palmer, Henrik Nyh, and the insoluble Peter Ahlstrom.

People

• Ben Olsen
• D.Demille
• Dan dos Santos
• David B
• Dawn Cawley
• Dot Lin
• Drerio
• Eric James Stone
• Henrik Nyh
• Irene Gallo
• Janci Olds
• John Palmer
• Karla Bennion
• Kuntry Bumpken
• Larry Yoder
• Loryn
• Louise Simard
• Matthew R Carlin
• Megan Hutchins
• Megan Kauffman
• Mi'chelle Trammel
• Ollie Tabooger
• Paul Stevens
• Richard Gordon
• Shir Hasirim
• Spink Longfellow
• Tjaeden
• Vadia
• amyface
• barbaraj
• thelsdj

• Map by Shawn Boyles