Wow. Go Brandon.

Brandon is a significant talent who is as capable of doing the job as anyone else. And I have to point out that he was chosen; he didn't lobby for it.

As for modesty...yeah. He has talent and he knows it. The line between confidence and arrogance is a difficult one to tread and I think Brandon leaps fully over it from time to time--which makes him no different than Orson Scott Card or any number of other successful authors. And like Card, I think Brandon has proven that he has a right to talk. He is widely regarded as an exceptional rising talent and one of the people to watch in fantasy.

To a large degree, I have to take that on faith. I started reading Elantris and was put off by what I perceived as an overbearing authorial presence. I thought he was trying too hard to be clever or coy or self-consciously nifty in his writing; he wasn't trusting either his story, his prose or his audience. That sense of intrusion, of being pushed by the author really knocked me out of the book and I bailed after about 30 pages. As a result, I never actually read the story that so many people were talking about. And it was the story that people were responding to. Apparently that story was very well done--it did earn him an AML Award for the novel that year, as well as general critical and popular acclaim.

Apparently he has settled down nicely in Mistborn and is becoming the refined author people anticipated. I will have to go back and read his books; I own them all, and my wife has read them.

Whatever else is true, I do know this--Brandon is a professional's professional. He hits his marks, makes his deadlines, and is serious about both the art and craft of writing. He works as hard as any author I know and harder than most. He knows the business, and he plays clean. He gets stuff done, and he does it at a level of quality that is more than admirable.

[[ In the interest of full disclosure I have to point out that I had a grudge against Brandon at first, which is part of why I bailed so quickly on his first novel. I was teaching the SF writing class at BYU, and they essentially fired me from the job in order to hire Brandon. So when I sat down to read, I had a big chip on my shoulder and a wound to nurse--and his first novel gave me my excuse to walk away.

It was absolutely the right decision to fire me and hire Brandon, but it took me most of two years to get over the hurt of it. The fact is that I wasn't a very good teacher. A combination of imposter syndrome (I have written and published a lot, but not a novel and not in large markets) and personal issues (I was just coming off an extended period of unemployment and my ego was in an unhealthy place) made some of my class periods quite tense and my delivery less than effective. In combination with my innate laziness, the result was near disastrous.

I would have liked another semester to learn how to teach and get further in time away from the recent destruction of my ego, but BYU had a better teacher ready, willing and on-staff. They made the absolute right decision. Still, that didn't make it any less painful at the time. ]]

We'll see whether this is a blessing for Brandon or a curse. The fact is that Jordan so dominates the fantasy marketplace that writing this novel will likely have more perils than benefits at this point. Brandon had independently established his own brand, and now risks having that brand subsumed under Jordan. The hardcore fans will always complain that he's not as good or that he missed the point. He will end up spending years defending the novel, and re-establshing himself as an independent author will be a challenge.

Of course being tagged as the heir apparent is a potentially good thing. If Brandon can withstand the inevitable backlash both now and right after the book is released, then follow up with a home run in his own series (something he has proven himself capable of doing), then this could well be a fantastic launch vehicle.

High risk, high reward. It either launches him to the top ranks or it buries him completely.

I can only admire the effort. If it can be done, Brandon can do it. I wish him well.

Scott

The whole pride/humility/consecration thing is an interesting problem, and lies at the heart of a *lot* of discussion around Mormon letters.

First there's the simple question of value--is written work intended to entertain, provoke non-specifically religious thought, or explore intimate personal (rather than sweeping general) issues of real and pragmatic worth?

I would argue that the world has changed since early Mormon leaders were so hard on fiction in general and dime novels in particular. The modern world operates as much in the knowledge economy as the materials/manufacturing economy, and that fact changes a lot of assumptions about how time is best spent. One need never sweat to make a fine and responsible living for one's family, and taking time to write "frivolous" works no longer needs to draw away from other worthy pursuits. The fact is that we have more leisure time than has ever existed in the past, and that changes the framework a lot.

Second there's the question of pride. This isn't the place for my take on doctrine, but I think there's a real and significant difference between recognizing your ability and having confidence that you can accomplish things (satisfaction), and the practice of diminishing the value and accomplishments of others by creating artificial divisions designed to separate and demean (pride).

In other words, pride is (by definition) a destructive separation intended to aggrandize oneself at the expense of others. Recognition of talent, ability, or accomplishment is not pride but rather something else. Brigham Young knew quite well that he was a better money manager and organizer of industry than almost anyone around him. Sometimes that led to destructive pride, but most often it led to simple satisfaction that spurred more and greater effort.

There's nothing wrong with feeling that you've done well--even that you've done significantly better than others. So long as your intent is not to separate and ignore/demean the innate human value of those that you surpass, there is not actual sin in simple evaluation and recognition of the fact.

Perhaps that's a thin line, but I don't think so. It's all about your attitude toward your fellow man--are others necessary annoyances (pawns, peons, irrelevant) or brothers and sisters loved equally by a loving set of heavenly parents? Do you work with or against others?

That's why Brandon's (and Card's) confidence is merely socially annoying rather than morally reprehensible, in my opinion. I think they recognize the (verifiable) fact of their superior talent and accomplishment, but they don't take that fact as evidence of equivalently superior value to God.

An important distinction that not all authors share. In fact, many authors are quite convinced they either *are* god, or at least should be his personal advisor. Not so you, Brandon, or any of the other authors I've met in association with Mormon letters.

FWIW.

Scott

Elantris has major problems -- the main characters verge on being insufferable instead of sympathetic. It is worth reading, however, for the religious zealot character. I think if Sanderson had focused on him instead, it could have been a great book.

The two Mistborn novels are much better, although they lag in some places. On the other hand, his magic system is the most interesting one I've ever encountered. Very cool. Very balanced. And because of it, the fight scenes end up being fantastic. some of the best violent physics since Ender's Game.

I have no opinion on his being name heir to Robert Jordan, though. I haven't read anything Jordan wrote. And don't plan to.

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A Motley Vision: Mormon Arts and Culture

I loved ELANTRIS, too, and I really enjoyed MISTBORN. Haven't read the sequel to MISTBORN, yet, but I also haven't read any of the Wheel of Time books.

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Ha! It's so true.

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First, I loved Elantris. One of my favorite books. We have purchased Mistborn and Well of Ascension, and will read those after I'm finished with some vital projects I'm currently working on. I must disagree with William, who didn't like the main characters (and agree with liking the villain-- very nicely done!). I thought the characterization of the book was one of the things that really drew me in. Magic systems, although cool, I can always give or take. That's not why I'm reading-- it's the characters.
I sensed confidence in Brandon Sanderson's interview, not pride. He didn't say anything which I thought was unseemly. If you're going to take over for the Wheel of Time, you better feel like you know what you're doing, or the fans will eat you alive. I think that's what he was trying to do, signal to the fans, "Hey, don't worry, this is going to be a great book.I'm not going to screw up!" I think that was important and smart. You can't have any rookies taking over such a popular franchise.
With Orson Scott Card on that same note, I've never sensed pride from him either. I had the gumption to ask him to write the foreward for the Mormon Drama Anthology that I'm putting together with Zarahemla Books-- it's certainly not going to win him any accolades to be involved with such a small niche book, but to my delight, not only did he accept, but offered his play Stone Tables as part of the anthology, if we wanted it (I hadn't dared ask!). He said that he was doing it becasue he believed in the project (it's certainly not for the money!). I thought it was extremely gracious of him and very kind to take time from his busy schedule (and his assistant Kathleen's schedule) to contribute to our project. Extremely impressed by the man.

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Upon the stage of a theater can be represented in character, evil and its consequences, good and its happy results and rewards; the weakness and the follies of man, the magnamity of virtue and the greatness of truth. The stage can be made to aid the pulpit in impressing upon the minds of a community an enlightened sense of a virtuous life, also a proper horror of the enormity of sin and a just dread of its consequences. The path of sin with its thorns and pitfalls, its gins and snares can be revealed, and how to sun it (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.243; Bookcraft, 199