Theoryland of the Wheel of Time

Deseret News Q&A: Brandon Sanderson on the importance of fiction and how writing influences his LDS faith (Verbatim)

What is the best cryptic statement you can come up with that will drive all your fans mad waiting to see what it means?

Ooooh, ooooh. Best cryptic statement, huh? Let me see … That's a hard one because I have to really be careful what I say, because if I give too much away, the fans are really good at picking out things. I'm going to throw them a curveball, and it's going to be a Wheel of Time one. There are things about The Wheel of Time ending … there are secrets that fans have not yet discovered and which nobody has asked me about yet. Major things. Major, kind of world-shaking, Wheel of Time things that are foreshadowed in the last books that no one has yet figured out or asked me about. So, that'll drive them a little crazy.

unanswered questions,

Reddit: If you had a make-a-wish and for some reason chose Brandon Sanderson to answer one question, what would your question be? (Verbatim)

Did the body swap take place before Rand stumbled out of the cave, or during the period of time in which Rand and Moridin were in the tent? That first paragraph of the epilogue is quite ambiguous.

This is one of those that I don't actually know. My instincts say that it happened after, as I believe the idea from RJ was "the soul that wants to live finds the body that lives, and the soul that wants to die finds the body that dies." But I can't honestly remember if that's his explanation for why (he wrote most of the epilogue, so this event was done and written before he died) or if it's Team Jordan's explanation after the fact. But it's the one I embraced.

Footnote—Terez

I'm fairly certain that this did not come directly from RJ based on conversations I have had with Maria about this at the "Unanswered Questions" panels at JordanCon 2017 and 2018. Just to be certain, I will ask her at the same panel at JordanCon 2019; she loves this panel and we're going to do it every year.

MatrimRivers (16 October 2014)

Sorry, very late to this party as I just finished AMOL today. So many feels. Just on this topic, as Min, Elayne, Aviendha and Alivia are the only ones who know that Rand still lives, wouldn't Nynaeve etc return to the tent after Rands funeral, see Moridin is gone and be like "oh fuck, the Nae'blis is on the loose. We better hunt him down". Or should we just sort of assume that the important characters are brought in on the secret by those who know?

Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2014)

I am amused imagining Nynaeve's reaction, both to what you just described and to her discovery that Rand is alive. But I DO think she's got an inkling of what's happening, and will bully it out of someone before too long.

a memory of light, unanswered questions, bodyswap, rand, moridin, nynaeve, who wrote what?,

Reddit: If you had a make-a-wish and for some reason chose Brandon Sanderson to answer one question, what would your question be? (Verbatim)

Nakomi for sure. Drives me mad we'll never know...

I do know about Nakomi. However, I must honor what I believe to be RJ's wishes in regards to this. Perhaps some day.

I'm more able, ironically, to speak about the pipe—as I don't know the answer, and can theorize like a fan upon its meaning.

There are at least two other things about the ending that people have never asked me, which I expected them to, which involve deep secrets about the series and its conclusion. One is minor, but interesting. The other I consider major. So perhaps someone will someday tease those out of me.

smb89 (1 October 2014)

Interesting about the other points given how thoroughly we've dissected the book over the past couple of years. Now I'm intrigued!

Brandon Sanderson (1 October 2014)

I'm not saying they haven't been dissected—I don't follow HCFF discussions these days as I once did—but I do know I haven't been asked about these things that I remember. (At least, not in a specific enough way.)

archaeonaga (1 October 2014)

Yeah, that is some Jordan-level trolling there, Brandon. Well done.

E: I mean trolling in the nicest way possible, of course

Brandon Sanderson (1 October 2014)

:) I've found that the fandom does enjoy me giving little nudges here and there.

zapfino (1 October 2014)

So even if it was a make-a-wish, you still would not tell that person about Nakomi?

Edit: I should mention that that I'm asking as an extremely hypothetical situation.

Brandon Sanderson (1 October 2014)

In that hypothetical, I would ask Harriet if it's okay, then do it if she agrees that I can.

unanswered questions, nakomi,