Brandon Sanderson Co-Author Janci Patterson Discusses Blightfall Cosmere Connection

Most of Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy books belong to the Cosmere, a galaxy where distinct planets share unique magic systems tied to a common divine origin. The Cytoverse science fiction series unfolds in a different reality where Earth is gone and human survivors inhabit isolated worlds. The two universes intersect for the first time in Blightfall, the newest Cytoverse novel co-written by Sanderson and Janci Patterson.

The immortal trickster Hoid appears across numerous works by Sanderson. He even narrates his own series, Hoid’s Travails, which features Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yume and the Nightmare Painter, and the upcoming novel The Fires of December. Hoid adapts his name and powers to each world he visits, and he appears in Blightfall as a psychic slug-like alien known as a taynix.

Patterson told Polygon that introducing Hoid happened entirely on a whim rather than as part of a long-term plan to merge the universes.

“There was a thread on the 17th Shard fan forums where everybody was talking about the book and somebody made a joke that we should name a slug Hoid,” the writer says. “I didn’t know if it would pan out, but then I put it in the book and [Sanderson] didn’t stop me.”

Because the Cytoverse takes place in Earth’s distant future, characters reference real-world history and pop culture, including Sanderson’s own writing. A taynix capable of conjuring illusions is named for a wanderer from old Earth mythology who performed illusions, traveled the stars, and appeared in unexpected places. Patterson clarifies that the Cytoverse exists outside the Cosmere, but the Cosmere exists within the Cytoverse as a popular work of fiction comparable to The Lion King or Hamlet.

What’s it like to collaborate with Brandon Sanderson?

Patterson and Sanderson share a long friendship and participate in the same book critique groups. Sanderson maintains a prolific output and frequently partners with other writers for non-Cosmere projects, such as The Strata Wars urban fantasy series he launched with Peter Orullian in June. Patterson and Sanderson previously collaborated on three Cytoverse novellas titled Sunreach, ReDawn, and Evershore, all released in 2021 ahead of Cytonic, the third book in Sanderson’s Skyward series.

“Part of the purpose of collaborating for him is to be able to produce more books and have more of his ideas come to fruition without having to physically write more books himself, because he’s kind of overbooked with things he wants to write,” Patterson says. “He tells me what the parameters of the project are, and then we brainstorm. We go back and forth, and I furiously take notes, and then I write an outline, and then he gives me feedback on my outline, and his feedback is always fantastic. Then I refine the outline, and write the draft, and he does the same thing with the draft.”

Sanderson’s Skyward books centered on Spensa, a teenage pilot with cytonic powers who embarked on a separate adventure with other characters by the end of his 2023 novel Defiant. Patterson notes that Sanderson reserved Spensa’s story in case he wants to write another solo novel in the series, leaving her to write new tales focused on the supporting characters who remained behind. The objective was to build a new trilogy accessible to readers who have not read prior Cytoverse books.

“It was a lot of work trying to balance making existing fans happy and giving them what they want to see, and also making it so it’s not off-putting to new readers,” Patterson says. “One thing that I do hear from existing fans is, ‘Why don’t you talk about Spensa more?’ and it’s because it makes new readers feel like they’re missing something.”

Another major obstacle involved handling Sanderson’s magic system, which allows cytonics to transport entire starships across space for faster-than-light travel.

“When I was drafting Evershore, I remember saying to Brandon ‘This magic system is out of control,’ and he was like ‘Is it?’ and then he read Evershore and he was like, ‘This magic system is out of control. We have to limit it.’”

They collaborated to define restrictions on teleportation enforced by the Delvers, extradimensional entities residing in the realm used by cytonics to cross vast physical distances instantly. Sanderson devised an inhibitor to further restrict cytonic powers on the planet Blightfall, where members of Skyward Flight find themselves stranded following a diplomatic mission.

“It’s really hard to put pressure on people who can just teleport home,” Patterson says. “I was trying really hard to make it work. I put up all this nice wallpaper to cover all the flaws and Brandon just grabs the corner and rips it down and is like, ‘What is going on back here?’”

Sanderson publishes at least one new book annually, and Patterson keeps pace with that production. She finished work on Songrise, the next installment in the Riftwake Cytoverse trilogy, and remains two-thirds through the untitled final book in the series.

“When I was a pretty new writer, Brandon was the only published writer that I knew,” Patterson says. “I looked at what he was doing and believed that I needed to be just like him in order to make it. I spent years trying to turn myself into somebody who can produce the ways that he does, and then later learned that nobody else does this. But those years gave me some really good skills. I may not be able to keep up with his output necessarily, but I can throw down some words in an efficient manner. I write and rewrite a lot just trying to get it to be the best that it can be.”

Source: Polygon