How many Dead Hand Rule predictions did I get right?
I make predictions before every new Craft Sequence book, and Dead Hand Rule was no exception. I got very few right for Dead Country. Smashed it for Wicked Problems. Will I make it best of three?
Note: spoilers for all books published before 2026, particularly Dead Hand Rule.
Full text for original Dead Hand Rule predictions here, and for reference Dead Country / Craft Wars predictions can be found here, for Wicked Problems here as I carried a few forward. Predictions are a mix of evidence-based speculation, and random things I personally would like to see.
1. Dawn will visit the Hidden Schools
Not just Dawn!! So many characters visited the Hidden Schools - and specifically the Argent Library, which I also specified. Not going to give myself an additional point for that, but it’s there in spirit.
Score: 1/1
2. Vampires!
I wasn’t sure quite WHAT vampires would do, but knew they would be important. I think they’re going to play a bigger role in Craft Wars #4, but they were still pretty important in Dead Hand Rule so I get a point.
Score: 2/2
3. Heist to save Mal
So there wasn’t a trial against her as I posited, but the MAIN prediction was “Dawn is going to try and save Mal, and I think Caleb will go against his friends and allies to help (even if he doesn’t fully change sides).” So, check and check. Giving myself an extra half point for the Caleb prediction because I make the rules.
Score: 3.5/3
4. What’s going on with the Badlands?
I wasn’t quite sure where I was going with this one, hence the wording of the title, but I think I can give it a point. I said it would be important, and one of the ideas was that Dawn’s consciousness could spread out so she could use its magics - which she did, using the God Wars weapons against the Hidden Schools.
Score: 4.5/4
5. No skazzerai until the end (except Dawn)
I think I can also give myself this one. We did have a bit more skazzerai metal going wild (Madeline Ramp) but no proper skazzerai until the very end when a big one broke through.
Score: 5.5/5
6. Elayne’s secret plan
I think we need to be specific here, so this is precisely what I predicted:
Elayne has been working behind the scenes for years, and she plays her cards close to her chest. She’s had an association with practically all our main characters, and is connected with the major players of the world of Craft. She’s demonstrated unique ways of using Craft to her own ends (see her protective shield of past selves), and we know she’s willing to put herself on the line. She visited Zack in his secret lair, and though she clearly hadn’t seen him in years she still had a way to get in touch.
I don’t think Elayne will have some kind of magic bullet to save the world, but I think she’s got plans and magics in the background that we’ll learn more about in Dead Hand Rule.
I would argue that we did see some interesting magic use (particularly against Denofaux), and she was integral to several major plots including saving Tara et al at the end, but I’m not sure I can call this a plan in the background. I don’t think this deserves a full point. But perhaps a half point? Am I being too generous with myself?
Score: 6/6
7. All our Alt Coulumb friends will be involved
Okay, given my previous self-generosity, I’m going to be harsh here. I specified ALL our AC friends - including the Rafferty sisters, Matt Adorne, Aev, Gabby Jones, and Tara’s mom.
We had a very brief sighting of the Raffertys (sidenote: is it just me, or did Gladstone name the wrong sister as the saint?) and there are gargoyles, but not Aev by name. No Matt, no Gabby, and in an AMA Gladstone confirmed Tara’s mom has left Alt Coulumb.
No points for me here.
Score: 6/7
8. Alikand gang will return
“They’ve just got to" I said. AND YET. THEY DID NOT.
Izza did, so I think I get a half point, but where are my delvers???
Score: 6.5/8
9. What will the title mean?
Honestly, I still don’t know. Gladstone said there were several meanings within the text for fans to identify, so please, if you have ideas of what ‘Dead Hand Rule’ meant in context, do let me know.
I suggested a legal dead hand rule - something about land held by the dead hand of a church, allowing control of property beyond the death of the title holders. Not sure if that’s relevant? Is it about Kai inheriting the Grimwald estate?
I also mentioned hands of the basically dead folks running the world, which is kinda relevant, and dead hands of the living, as so many characters have lost hands Star Wars style.
A reader later suggested the idea of it referencing Cold War–era automatic or semi-automatic nuclear weapons control systems.
I don’t think I got it quite right, so no points again. Maybe I should have been MORE generous wiuth points earlier...
Score: 6.5/9
10. The end of the world and a time jump
Definitely due a point for the end of the world ( I said “maybe an older skazzerai arrives”, so) but there is no time jump. I’d say ‘yet’ but it also seems unlikely given the whole Kos in single combat against the skazzerai thing, so I don’t think it’ll happen now. I was clearly in the middle of my Avengers Infinity War and Endgame comparison moment when I made that part of the prediction.
Gonna say this was worth 2 points and I only get 1.
Score: 7.5/11
Those were all my NEW predictions, but I carried over some from older prediction posts for the series as a whole.
11a. Belladonna Albrecht will show up
ORIGINALLY I predicted a Belladonna appearance, but after Wicked Problems I combined her into a general “these characters will return or cameo” prediction.
Given the sheer about of Belladonna Albrecht (TIMES TWO) that we got, I needed to break this prediction out once more. Each correct character guess was going to get 0.5 points, so I’m giving myself a full point for the two Belladonnas Albrecht.
Score: 8.5/12
11b. These characters will return (and/or cameo)
Right, let’s see who else I got right. 0.5 points per character.
Temoc and Gal did not meet because Gal STILL hasn’t shown up (but her brother has). No points.
Raymet and Mina were not present at all and so could not meet. No points.
Cameos:
No sight of: R’ok, David Cabot, Twilling, Tan Batac, specific game characters, or Tara’s schoolfriends. No points.
However, we DID see: Deathless King James Regulum, Izza’s friend Izaak, and potentially a relation of a game character (Allegra Chen, possibly related to Verity Chen). Only 2 definties, so 1 point total.
Score: 9.5/13
12. Elayne will sacrifice herself
My first thought was “no she didn’t, thank the gods” but…she kinda did. I don’t think she’s DEAD, but she definitely went into the battle against Denofaux with the intention of sacrificing herself for Tara, and the last we see of her she is cocooned in skazzerai metal. I think 0.5 points here.
Score: 10/14
13. We’ll see the demon world
Still no demon world. Give me demon world, Gladstone. Book-only readers deserve it.
Score: 10/15
14. We’ll see new locations - specifically Alt Selene
Hidden Schools ticks this box, but no bonus point for Alt Selene yet. I hold out hope.
Score: 11/16
15. Dragons will do battle
Kopil showed up with his deceased dragon #ForTheDrama, but as yet no dragon battles. We do read that Tara sent messages to some dragons, and they chose not to come to the Conclave.
Score: 11/17
16. And there will be more Craft horrors
This was specifically referencing “the horrors of Craft that people do the themselves.” Tick. I mentioned perhaps some characters doing something truly awful to themselves in order to save the world, and I think that is arguably also true?
Seeing so many senior Craftsfolk showed us many horrors. Just look at the Verdance. Christ. I’m also thinking of Jax’s metal maw where his heart should be. And in terms of saving the world, whilst it isn’t quite the kind of Craft horror I was thinking of, surely Tara going against her instincts to use Denovo’s skull and it taking over her mind is pretty damn Craft horror.
Score: 12/18
17. Grimwald
And finally, another tick! Grimwald was indeed not fully dead, and Kai did NOT fully get rid of him. Tempted to give myself a bonus point to up my overall percentage buuut this was clearly one prediction so alas. Only one.
Score: 13/19
You know, 13/19 isn’t too bad really. 68% ish. Way better than I did for Dead Country, not as good as Wicked Problems. Still, happy enough with it.
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