By: Jay Figueredo
Edited By: Mary Majerus-Collins
From a tiny, fringe genre in the 20th century, fantasy has grown and blossomed. In 2022, a global readership survey found 55% of readers had read a sci-fi or fantasy book that year and planned to read more the next. Along with the recent explosion of romantasy, it’s clearer than ever fantasy is a genre to watch, highlighting the importance of an under-reported event happening tomorrow:
Tomorrow is Dragonsteel Nexus, the most anticipated event in the Sci-fi and Fantasy (SFF) reading world. While the event is much smaller than mega-conventions like ComicCon, it is one of the largest in the literature industry. Before COVID-19, Worldcon, where the prestigious Hugo awards are presented, was drawing between 6,000-10,000 members every year. This year, all 7,500 tickets for Dragonsteel Nexus sold out in under an hour.
Dragonsteel Nexus is this year’s iteration of Dragonsteel (now renamed Nexus), a yearly convention celebrating the works of Brandon Sanderson. This year’s panelist list reads like a who’s who of adult fantasy and science fiction, including renowned authors Fonda Lee, Robin Hobb, Martha Wells, and Mary-Robinette Kowal. Most events focus on the works of Brandon Sanderson, with others covering the craft of writing, publishing, cover art, and roleplaying games.
“I look forward to all the booths,” an attendee named Ron Herzog says, referring to the maze of hundreds of displays where artists, authors, and fannish groups exhibit. “[It] is always so much fun talking to everyone about their books.” But for him, highlights also include signing events and one particular book launch:
This year’s convention, planned around the release date of Sanderson’s newest book: Wind and Truth, starts Thursday December 5th, and runs until Saturday the 7th in Salt Lake City. Wind and Truth will launch at 7pm on the first day of the convention. The book marks the conclusion of the first part of Sanderson’s magnum opus, The Stormlight Archive, an epic fantasy series as ambitious as anything written by J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Robert Jordan, or Robin Hobb.
Those who don’t read fantasy novels may not have heard of Brandon Sanderson. If they have, it is because for his two incredibly successful Kickstarter campaigns: the first when he raised over $41 million to publish four secret novels (with an original goal of $1 million), and his tabletop game based on his fictional universe broke the record for most crowdfunded tabletop game.
To those who do read fantasy, Brandon Sanderson has been an inescapable feature of the literary landscape since the late 2000s. He spearheaded a shift in the fantasy genre emphasizing magic systems, detailed worldbuilding, and a renewed interest in religion. Frequently compared to Tolkien and Robert Jordan, he enjoys the same fame within the SFF community as George R.R. Martin does outside it. And for good reason: Sanderson engages heavily with his fanbase with a frequency most other authors do not, posting weekly updates on his writing progress, chatting on Reddit, and hosting podcasts about writing and musings on the genre.
For many years, I, like many other fantasy readers, tried to find faults with this seemingly perfect fantasy juggernaut. Many of his critics cite his simple prose or Mormon religious beliefs as faults. But his works are clear and engaging and his religion has not stopped him from penning some of the most diverse, inclusive, and empowering books to hit the bestseller lists in recent years. Sanderson is also known for assisting new authors breaking into the industry. He made his university lectures on writing free on YouTube, taught at writing retreats, been a fierce critic of Amazon’s monopoly on the book industry, and advocated for reforms in traditional publishing. He’s just a great guy.
The Stormlight Archive is Sanderson’s most ambitious book series so far. It’s an epic fantasy set in a world that has undergone crabification, where small spirits grant magic powers to people struggling with mental illness, and where men are forbidden to read. It’s about the universal struggle between hope and hatred. It’s about good and evil. It’s a must read.
The series is set to be ten books long, broken up into two parts of five hefty novels. Wind and Truth is the fifth book in the series and the conclusion to this first part. The Way of Kings, the first book in The Stormlight Archive, was published in 2010, meaning fans have been waiting for the conclusion to the first arc of the series for almost fifteen years.
The series has sold over 10 million copies, and with more than 60% of fantasy readers reading epic fantasy, Sanderson’s masterpiece is sure to shape the epic fantasy genre for years to come. The book’s release undeniably will affect how fantasy, particularly epic fantasy, will be written from here onward. In the same way Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time paved the way for Game of Thrones, and all epic fantasy is invariably in dialogue with Lord of the Rings, the first complete arc of The Stormlight Archive is bound to make waves in the industry. While the pre-sale numbers for Wind and Truth are not available, the book is almost certain to top the New York Times Bestseller’s List.
