Mistborn’s Wax & Wayne Villain Makes This Upcoming Brandon Sanderson Book Even More Exciting

Includes SPOILERS for Mistborn through The Lost Metal!

One villain character in Mistborn'sWax & Wayne series makes a different upcoming Brandon Sanderson book even more exciting. Fans of Sanderson's fantasy universe have just experienced the most extensive volume so far, Wind and Truth, building more anticipation than ever for the Cosmere's future. Brandon Sanderson's upcoming novels for the back half of the decade include a new Mistborn trilogy, long-awaited Elantris sequels, Isles of the Emberdark, and more. Another expected book is the novelization of White Sand, a Cosmere graphic novel that was released in 2016.

The Cosmere fantasy universe began with Elantris in 2005, and though Sanderson has insisted his stories are meant to be enjoyed individually as well as part of a collective whole, connections have grown more common in recent years. The upcoming Mistborn trilogy will take the world of Scadrial further into the future, and there are several reasons to expect more references and narrative ties to other titles than ever. For fans of the Cosmere, these connections are incredibly exciting, as they're building up a grander narrative across several worlds.

Autonomy Becomes A Major Cosmere Villain In Mistborn: Era 2

Autonomy Is An Off-Planet Shard Who Targets Scadrial

The Wax & Wayne series is a fun set of action novels that demonstrate Brandon Sanderson's range as an author. One of the appeals of the Cosmere is that there's something for everyone, and even the most dedicated readers likely won't resonate with each series the same way. Mistborn era 2 is typically rated lower than the original Mistborn books, but there are some major aspects to praise, like its slow-burn setup of a crucial Cosmere villain who's going to be one of the primary X-factors in the upcoming books: Autonomy.

Autonomy is one of the Shards of the Cosmere, held by a vessel named Bavadin. Readers have met antagonist gods in the Cosmere before, be it Ruin in Mistborn era 1 or Odium in The Stormlight Archive series, but the critical intrigue of Autonomy is that she exists off-world and is local to the planet Taldain. Taldain is the world of the White Sand graphic novels, but Autonomy has attempted to influence events from there through the use of avatars, beings that hold a portion of her power, such as Trell in Wax & Wayne.

Wax, Wayne, and Marasi defeated Autonomy in The Lost Metal, forcing her to retreat off-world, but the story will almost certainly be continued in Mistborn era 3. It's vital to the broader Cosmere story that Autonomy has attacked Scadrial, as it pulls Harmony directly into the conflict. Brandon Sanderson's books are primarily character-driven tales, but the underlying stories of conflicts between gods are fascinating, and readers are only just beginning to understand where the battle lines are drawn. Unfortunately, Autonomy and Odium seem to be in some sort of alliance.

White Sand Is Finally Getting A Novelization (Though There's No Expected Arrival Date)

One Of Brandon Sanderson's First Works Is Finally Releasing As A Novel

As mentioned, White Sand is a three-volume graphic novel series that was released in 2016, based on a previously written Brandon Sanderson book that was never published. While the graphic novel version is still considered canon to the Cosmere universe and worth checking out for its beautiful artwork and storytelling, Sanderson is planning on re-working White Sand as a proper prose book to be released. This will be the same story as before, though with the additional context provided by a longer-form narrative.

Brandon Sanderson's upcoming books include numerous titles, many of which have to be shelved so others can take priority. The author has mentioned having dozens of other ideas for books and worlds set in the Cosmere, but he's focusing on Scadrial, Roshar, and Yolen to make sure that the main events of his universe can be completed. That being said, the White Sand novelization doesn't have an expected release date for the time being, but the author mentioned in his annual State of Sandersonblog post that progress is underway, meaning he'll get to it when he can.

The White Sand Novel Can Add More Context To Autonomy

This Book Will Provide A Closer Look Than Mistborn Era 2

The White Sand graphic novels are a ton of fun, but the novelization will undoubtedly provide additional context to the world-building aspects of Taldain and its Shard. The graphic novel offers a glimpse of Autonomy's avatar, the Sand Lord, among some of the most astonishing art and character designs available in the Cosmere so far, but there's not a ton of exposition regarding the character. There's significantly more about this Shard in the Mistborn series, which would likely change with the release of the novel.

Not to mention, with how much the Cosmere has grown since Sanderson wrote White Sand Prime and the White Sand graphic novel, he might have new ideas to embellish the work. There won't be changes, as he mentioned in the State of Sanderson post, that he'd like to keep the two variations consistent and equally canon to the rest of the Cosmere, but that doesn't mean there won't be additional content to make the novelization with reading. Consider the prose adaptations of Star Wars films and how they can provide added context to certain scenes.

How White Sand Will Connect To Mistborn: Era 3

The Novelization Can Link Up With Mistborn Era 3's Story

It's more important than ever for the White Sand novel to come out, with Mistborn: Era 3 expected in just a few years. Though the Cosmere books aren't always released in chronological order, there's generally a purpose to the order they're released in. For example, Rhythm of War and The Lost Metal complement each other in important ways. With that in mind, having White Sand, Mistborn: Era 3, and Elantris sequels coming out in the next five years could mean synergy between the novels in terms of Cosmere lore reveals. The intended release dates are as planned:

Readers caught up on Wax & Wayne know that Autonomy still has her eyes set on Scadrial and that she'll be returning soon. That could happen in the Ghostbloods trilogy at any point, with the new protagonist caught in between Kelsier and Harmony's drastically varying methods of trying to defend their planet. The future of Mistborn looks bright with a captivating villain, more Cosmere connections, and more active usage of some of era 1's most iconic characters.

Mistborn

Created by

Brandon Sanderson

Character(s)

Vin, Kelsier, Sazed, Marsh, Elend Venture, Waxillium "Wax" Ladrian, Wayne, Steris Harms

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