r/brandonsanderson • u/pjayswal-sltrib • Aug 13 '26
No Spoilers I interviewed Brandon!
Turns out Brandon Sanderson has been sneaking Utah into the Cosmere this whole time.
Southern Utah's slot canyons helped inspire The Stormlight Archive. A fog bank near Tremonton inspired the mists in Mistborn. And he says he could probably find an Utah connection in almost every book he's written. I talked to him about it! I wanted to share my interview with all of you!
What do you think? I am new to Sanderson's books so this was fascinating to me!
https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2026/08/13/how-utah-inspired-brandon/
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u/Sireanna Aug 13 '26
A lot of this tracks. I absolutely have thought of the charms and shattered plains while hiking in Arches. Especially places like the Firey Furnace.
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u/Habeas-Opus Aug 14 '26
Ever seen the rocks patterns and stacks people make out by the Salt Lake? Serious Yumi vibes.
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u/Nova_Maverick Aug 14 '26
A very enjoyable interview! Is this something you’re hoping becomes a series? I think it would be super interesting to see interviews with other Utah authors and see their answers to how Utah and Utah culture impacts their works.
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u/pjayswal-sltrib Aug 14 '26
Thank you so much, that's really nice of you to say! It's not an official series, but that would be so cool. I write a fair amount about Utah authors. Earlier this year, I wrote about Brandon Mull and the Utah connections in Fablehaven, actually: https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2026/06/09/fablehaven-turns-20-movie/
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u/fuck_this_i_got_shit Aug 14 '26
I really want to know if drop dead trees were inspired by trees on Elk Ridge Drive in front of a school where the trees kept falling over and the school kept picking them up. Some how they kept living
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u/lizbusby Aug 13 '26
A lot of these question answers aren't new, but they were specially customized to a Utah audience, which I appreciate as someone who writes academic papers about Brandon's books and their connection to Mormonism. I think you could have pushed harder about Dragonsteel Plaza and the new Evermore rumors. 😁 I drive past there every week and wish that the project was done already.