About
Hi, I’m Tom, and I like to make the content that I want to see more of in the world. This site (and hopefully the videos that will one day accompany it) is the next step in my creative journey, exploring the works of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. I draw inspiration from several content creators on YouTube, but what never ceases to ensnare me is the epic, hours-long lore deep dives that are incredibly well-presented and researched, exploring the stories that I grew up with. Hell, I even dive into stuff that I’ve never even heard of before the video. If someone has a passion for it, I’ll stick around and listen to almost anything.
My goal with Invested in the Cosmere is to distill the parts of the Cosmere that interest me the most - to have the article or the video that would stop me dead in my YouTube browsing tracks and force me to kill an hour or so tearing through the content.
My Journey
I started reading Brandon Sanderson’s work while wrapping up my first listen-thru of the Wheel of Time. It was a journey that I began shortly after my daughter was born. Children seem to have a way of warping time, making a day (and night) feel like an eternity but making a year feel like a week. Before I knew it, it was my daughter’s first birthday, and I was rolling the credits on A Memory of Light.
What struck me about the ending of The Wheel of Time (no spoilers) was how seamlessly the book changed authors. I’m sure long-time Robert Jordan fans could spot the differences right away, but I was on my first read and went one book right after the other. I actually missed the author's note the first time around; too excited to get right back into the action. The transition felt natural, and the quality of the content stayed consistent. The Wheel of Time has an absolute banger of an ending, and yes, it is absolutely worth making it through the entire series to experience it.
The ending was a bit of an emotional mixed bag for me. I was proud of my wife and me for making it through our first year of parenthood in one piece. I was deeply satisfied that the long road from Emond’s Field had finally come to its ever-so-satisfying end. But there was also a sense of loss; I would miss the hours in the car listening to audiobooks with my daughter. Those late nights in the rocking chair with one earbud in, waiting for her to fall asleep, were a part of my past, and I didn’t know what the future would be like without them. It felt like the end of an era. The turning of the wheel would not bring about a new age but something different altogether.
Then I googled Brandon Sanderson.
Learning that he had a few series of his own, with more books on the way, was a massive relief. Sure, there are plenty of great fantasy series to dive into, but I had been bitten by the writing style and, I am not ashamed to admit, the voice acting of Micheal Kramer and Kate Reading. I had new worlds to explore and promise even more in the future.
This was back in 2019, and so with the Rhythm of War on the horizon, I made my choice to dive into the Stormlight Archive first.
This was what sparked the passion that I hope to pour and shape into the works of this site, and I hope to make it to a quality that makes you want to stick around.
My Inspirations
As I mentioned, there are dozens of creators on YouTube (and podcasts!) that have inspired me to create this site. These aren’t all in the fantasy-lore genre, but their works all have contributed to the way I think about content and how I present that content to you. Here is a list of some of most favorite, along with a small snippet of what drives me towards them.
I don’t know if this does anything for you, the reader, but it’s a chance to share some of my favorite creators, and so I’ll take it.
Nerd of the Rings - A legend in the fantasy lore scene. If you love Lord of the Rings, this channel is an absolute must, but if you’re here for fantasy lore stuff, you probably already know that. I got hooked on this channel for the “life and travels of…” series, and hope to borrow that format within the Cosmere.
Summoning Salt - Presentation and research. It takes an exceptional talent to take a topic as niche as videogame speed run videos and make it appealing to a broader audience. The tone each video takes, the music, and the drama built into the deeply researched topic… it is simply incredible.
Nobbel87 - If I could be the Nobble of the Cosmere, I would live happily. What I love about their work is the bite-sized dives into a variety of topics across the World of Warcraft universe, both covering what’s happening in-game but also diving back into the history of the lore that has made the Warcraft universe a massive part of my life since 2017.
Fredrik Knudsen - Weird, deep, well-researched. It's substance over style, but it hits every time.
CGP Grey - All the points I’ve made above about the depth of research, but the marketer in me loves the brand consistency and presentation from Grey. Intentional or not, some YouTube channels just have an identity so solid that it’s impossible to replicate.
Brian Lagerstrom - Again, with the brand - Brian’s videos have a consistent flow to them that makes them so enjoyable to watch. Watching each new video feels like the extension of a conversation we started years ago, and the energy with which he shares his passion for food is addictive.
There are dozens of other creators I could list here, but I feel like if you could condense my favorite parts of these six creators, you would get the kind of content creator that I would want to be. I may never hit the professionalism or polish that these people have worked over the years (and in some cases, decades), but I’m all about the journey.