Noe’s Comics Nook: Brandon Sanderson’s White Sand Omnibus

Review

White Sand is the first, and so far, only, comics series set in Brandon Sanderson’s sprawling fictional universe known as the Cosmere. This shared universe involves a single cosmology and core rules of magic, and while ultimately the stories set here do all connect and resonate with consequences across the universe, it is not necessary to have read any other stories set within the Cosmere to read any other. Thus, White Sand can be read by anyone – prior Sanderson knowledge or not. That said, I would personally recommend beginning with the first Mistborn series if you are planning to dive all-in, as it were, but if you are looking for a one-off magical, political fantasy series, then White Sand will serve you just fine!

The series centers on the unlikely converging responsibilities of Darksider Duchess Khrissalla and the Sand Mastery wielding Daysider Kenton. Khrissalla, a scientist with endless curiosity, is traveling to Dayside to find the Sand Mages, whom her betrothed Price Gevalden was seeking alliance with before his (mysterious and untimely) death. The alliance is sought in an effort to aid in their fight against an Emperor that needs dealing with. Meanwhile, Kenton is the (seeming) underdog heir to Lord Mastrell Praxton, who seeks to reform his people, but before he gets the chance, their entire society is thrown into violent turmoil. (Mastrell is the highest rank of the Diem, the Profession of Sand Masters – there is a lot of world specific language to understand in this series.)

What follows from this opening arc is a winding journey to see both of our lead character’s ambitions rise and fall, where old prejudices must be addressed lest both of their world’s collapse. For readers who are also fans of role-playing games, you will recognize much of the world-building efforts and an almost “main quest” and “side quest” energy to the way the story moves forward. This is common for Sanderson books, but it is a little bit rough in this medium; Sanderson is a verbose writer and that has not fully translated into the comics medium. The artist changes between books 2 and 3, and while both art teams bring strong fantasy world styles, the change in line weight and color density is notable. It is a credit to all artists involved that the sweeping cities are readable and enjoyable to inhabit during the book – not an easy feat for a static medium. In books 1 and 2, the fighting scenes are more dynamic and the sand bending (my word for it, sorry ATLA) is grittier, which makes sense to me given the materiality of sand, while in the final arc of the story, the fights are cleaner – but just as emotionally weighted.

This omnibus edition includes a cover gallery and, based on some Q&A with the author online, there have been some minor adjustments to artwork and wording in this release to fix errors in the original single volume editions. For lore and world-building fans (like me), you will enjoy the glossary at the start and the notes throughout the book (in-world, notes written by Khrissalla, but ultimately helpful

information for the reader). White Sand is an ambitious addition to Sanderson’s Cosmere and is sure to delight fans and newcomers alike.

Elements of Story

Plot: The slaughter of Kenton’s people – the Sand Master’s – spurs the unlikeliest of partnerships with Khriss, a Darksider with a mission of her own. What follows is a fantastical story full of political intrigue as these unlikely allies seek to forge a better world and avenge those they love.

Major Characters: Khrissalla; Kenton; Baon; Ais; Aarik; Gevalden; Council of the Guilds

Major Settings: Taldain Dayside (including Lossand, Kerzta, Denka, Seevis, and Tallon regions and cities); Taldain Darkside (including Elis (little of Darkside is relevant to the story)); Kezare; The Diem; Lraezare

Themes: Loss; Power; Politics; Talent; Honor; Autonomy; History

Lesson Plan Idea Using Common Core Standards (CCS) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 – Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Directions: White Sand introduces readers to a sweeping fantasy world, rife with competing personal and political interests that are anything but new or unfamiliar. While our world doesn’t have anyone wielding sand like whips nor is our planet divided into lands light and dark, what we do have is strong personalities, some with privilege, some with none, all vying for power to accomplish different goals. For this assignment, students will attempt to map out the characters, and their desires, at play in White Sand – a useful skill to have for engagement with real-world politics and work environments.

1. Students should read the White Sand in its entirety. Expect this to be spaced out over at least a few weeks, as this is a nearly 500-page trilogy.

a. My suggestion is to assign one part of the trilogy per week and instruct students to take notes about each character they encounter, paying special attention to their motivation(s) and relationships with other characters.

b. Depending on your environment, ask students to submit their notes each week for credit, both to keep them on track and to provide a chance for feedback on their approaches.

2. Once students have completed their reading, and their notes, they should review notes, make note of any questions they have, and then you, as the instructor, should lead a discussion session on the book to help address any outstanding questions. Remind them that their characters may have changed over the course of the book and they should highlight these changes in their final maps.

3. The final element of this assignment is the creation of a character map. Students will choose five characters from the comic to focus on. They will fill out a character information sheet for each (I like this one from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/ela/bank/RL.KID_Character_Map.pdf) and from those information sheets, they should develop a visual map that links each character. There are many ways to do this, both by hand and electronically, so encourage students to think creatively

about how best to represent the relationships, for good or bad, between their chosen characters.