Where does one of fantasy’s most prolific authors see the industry headed 20 years from now? Brandon Sanderson — author of the Mistborn Saga and Stormlight Archive — recently sat down with fellow writer Joe Abercrombie for a lengthy conversation about everything from industry trends to Sanderson’s ongoing work adapting several of his works. One of the final questions in the video posted June 26 posed by a fan asked specifically about the future of the industry. Sanderson offered a surprising theory about “20-year nostalgia cycles” that helps explain why The Empyrean romantasy series, which began with the release of Fourth Wing in 2023, has exploded in popularity.