You mentioned a Magic the Gathering story as though it's new. I read one last year, about two sisters doing dark stuff with a bunch of gods a monks and whatnot, but that's nearly a year ago now. I hadn't heard about any new Magic stories yet.
I think Sanderson does so well, because he actually consults people like your partner on a regular basis. I'm always impressed with that.
For example, the only reason he's not yet writing The Aztlanian is the fact that his plot is heavily centered around Native American culture, and he wants...
Man, I'll be jealous.
I had actually not expected Skyward to be quite as good as it was, but the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking it makes the perfect recommendation for people who aren't die-hard SFF readers to get them into Sanderson. I'm seriously confused why this isn't hailed...