Shardcast: The Brandon Sanderson Podcast The Sleepless and the Grand Apparatus
Nov 23, 2025
Dive deep into the mysterious Sleepless and their hive-mind physiology. Explore fascinating conspiracy theories about their origins and their connections to the Dawnshards. Uncover their presence on Roshar and their evolution in the space age, alongside a discussion of intriguing interspecies relationships. Get insights into the elusive Grand Apparatus, a machine-planet with a mind of its own, and its significance in Sleepless lore. Plus, a glimpse into future narratives featuring Hoyt’s murder mystery!
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Edge Dancer's Big Reveal
- The Sleepless reveal in Edge Dancer reframed early Cosmere hints and made every seemingly ordinary kremling suspicious.
- That moment shifted fan expectations about hidden, ancient forces influencing Roshar's history.
Hive Structure And Memory Nodes
- Sleepless operate as distributed hive-minds with designated memory nodes that hold identity and must be killed to truly destroy one.
- Their physiology enables puppet-like hordlings for interaction while protecting core personality clusters.
Cultural Split Among Sleepless
- Sleepless on Roshar evolved human-mimicking hordlings while earlier concepts were spider-like, suggesting cultural divergence across worlds.
- Individual Sleepless show varied strategies: concealment (Mikasa) or open identity (Chrysalis).
