Hello again fellow Cosmere fans! Welcome to Part 2 of my Con Stories post series for Dragonsteel 2022. If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, I highly recommend you do so by clicking here. For this post, I will be sharing my con experience from the second, and final day, of Dragonsteel 2022. So let’s not wait for a speed bubble to get into it, onward to Dragonsteel Day 2.
The Lost Metal Book Release
The highlight of each Dragonsteel con is the release of one of Brandon Sanderson’s books. This year, it is The Lost Metal. Although, I could have picked up my book the evening of Day 1, I chose to pick up my book on Day 2 to avoid the long lines and crowds. For me, it was the more convenient choice since I was drop dead tired by the end of Day 1.
What made the Lost Metal book I got extra special is that it was signed and numbered. The number I got was 735, which means it was the 735th book of the Lost Metal Brandon Sanderson signed. For diehard Brando Sando fans, the lower the number, the more valuable the book. For example, I met someone who got book number 2, but to get that he had to line up as early as 4 am in the morning! And for background, the outside temperature at that time would havebeen at least in the upper 20’s Fahrenheit (below 0 degrees Celsius). Too cold for me, but probably well worth it for that dude.
After getting my book, I went around looking for an activity or panel to attend. Unfortunately, there weren’t any panels I was particularly interested in for Day 2, and I had visited all the booths and artists already on Day 1. Dragonsteel is a smaller convention. So once I made a pass around the show floor on Day 1, I had already seen most of what it had to offer, at least for me. For Day 2, I decided to try attending some panels I wouldn’t have normally attended, to mix it up a bit, and see if any of them would peak my interest.
Meeting the Authors and Artists of Dragonsteel 2022
Since I covered Dragonsteel as Media this year, I was able to pass by the Meet the Authors event. Basically, this was a ticketed event that allowed participants to sit down with their favorite authors and artists at Dragonsteel 2022, to ask their questions and get feedback. Below are some photos from that event.
From what I could gather, it was a very personal, lively, and interactive event. Most people were laughing, sharing stories or hearing stories or advice from their favorite authors or artists. To me, it looked like a hit! If you’re able to get a ticket to one of these events, as they disappeared fast on Dragonsteel’s website, it looked well worth it and fun.
Cosmere Survival Crash Course
One of the larger panels I was able to attend was the Cosmere Survival Crash Course panel. Basically, a panel of Cosmere enthusiasts (Joy Allen, Daniel Greene, Lauren McCaffrey, and Amy (Coincidence Cosplay)) lead a discussion on how a person would, or could, survive in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. It was easily one of the more popular panels at the con (in my opinion). It was really a lot of fun, as the panelists basically went through the different worlds within the Cosmere and postulated what not to do, or what to do, to keep yourself safe in one of those worlds. See photos below from the panel.
Cosplay Make-and-Take Workshop
One of the more hands on events I was able to observe, since I attended the event as media, was the Cosplay Make-and-Take Workshop. In this event, participants were provided materials and guidance on how to make their own Metal Minds (a sort of bracer from the Mistborn book series). I believe the photos below speak for themselves as they show participants working with cosplay building tools and materials to make their own Metal Minds (bracers).
Based on what I had observed it looked like a lot of fun! This was another ticketed event, with very limited slots, that looked well worth it for those who wanted to learn the basics of building their own Cosmere inspired cosplay.
Dragonsteel Merchandise
Another thing I was able to do was go shopping! With the December holidays coming around, I checked out what the Dragonsteel merch had to offer for things I could give away to friends and family. Nah, who am I kidding. I bought things for me! Haha. And man, if you’re as huge a Sanderson fan as I am, you’d understand how cool I found the merch was. Check out the Cosmere themed merchandise below.
Yes, that’s a lot of shirts! Also, let’s just say I came away with a couple more Cosmere themed shirts than I had originally intended to buy. . .
Lost Metal Release Party
The highlight of Day 2 was definitely the Lost Metal release party. This was basically Brandon Sanderson coming on stage, sharing his thanks and thoughts on the successful launch of The Lost Metal, the fourth and final book of the Wax and Wayne series of the Mistborn Saga. I won’t go into details because the event itself was live-streamed. What I will say was that, being a huge fan, this meant a lot to me. To see one of my favorite authors, whom I had attended his early book releases in small book shops that only fit around 100 people, to fill a huge convention area with hundreds of people in attendance. It was great. The excitement of my fellow Sanderson fans there was just energizing.
The highlight from the release party was when Brandon read from his upcoming book, Stormlight Archive 5. The reading wasn’t much of a spoiler since the chapters he read were flashbacks prior to the events of any of the books in the Stormlight Archive book series. Him reading these chapters, just took me back to the first time I had ever attended one of his book readings, like I side in a tiny bookshop, and reminded me how far I had come in my life. How much books his books, even if they are built in imaginary worlds, can have such an impact to this world, or at least to my life. It was sort of a stake in the ground, a reminder of the past. It felt like coming home.
Final Thoughts
This was my first Dragonsteel, and I have to say I had a lot of fun. I am not sure Dragonsteel is for everyone, as I believe it helps if you’re very much invested and interested in Brandon Sanderson’s work to fully appreciate all that Dragonsteel has to offer. But, if you’re already in Salt Lake City, and enjoy sci-fi and fantasy, it’s probably a fun con to just pop into for a day and attend. For someone like me based out of state, it very much helps that I am a huge fan of Brandon’s work and fully appreciate everything Cosmere.
Thanks to the Dragonsteal Team
Also, I’d like to personally thank the Dragonsteel staff for allowing me, via SKKAW.BLOG, to attend Dragonsteel this year as media. This blog has come a long way from covering Brandon Sanderson at Worldcon, interviewing him, and even doing a gameplay experience to The Call to Adventure Stromlight Archive boardgame. And now, getting a chance to cover Dragonsteel in this way just meant a lot. In fact, the continued success of this blog was highly inspired by Brandon himself after I had met him at Worldcon many years ago. At that time SKKAW.BLOG was fairly new, and Brandon recommended I keep the momentum going for this blog. To top that off, he even allowed me to interview him! That post, was one of this blog’s earliest popular and trending posts. Flash forward to today, and SKKAW.BLOG covered his convention as media. Just so grateful!
So huge thanks to the Dragonsteel team for the opportunity to cover Dragonsteel 2022. You did an excellent job with Dragonsteel this year, and I cannot wait for what you have in store for us Sanderson fans in 2023!
Ok, that’s it for Day 2 at Dragonsteel 2022. But don’t worry Brando Sando fans, SKKAW.BLOG still has more Cosmere-themed posts in store for you all. Can’t share anything at this time, but I highly recommend you hang in there for now. In the meantime, stay tuned folks!
UPDATE (11.20.2022): If the above peaked your interest, do check out our other Dragonsteel 2022 posts below:
- Dragonsteel 2022 Cosplay
- Interview with Brotherwise Games: Stormlight Premium Miniatures and RPG
- Con Stories Dragonsteel 2022 Part 1
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