Summary

• Start with Mistborn trilogy for an engaging Cosmere journey, avoiding publication order.
• Dive into The Stormlight Archive next for epic fantasy with rich characters and story.
• Read standalones, novellas, and shorts in between to fully appreciate the interconnected universe.

Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson's fantasy novels, including Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive, are all part of a complicated shared fictional universe called the Cosmere. Sanderson's novels are incredibly popular, and most modern fantasy fans will have heard of his work or perhaps tried a novel. For a first-time reader, the Cosmere can appear overwhelming, given the sheer length of his novels and the idea that one may need to meander between different series and standalone books. Luckily, navigating Sanderson's universe isn't nearly as complex as it looks.

Brandon Sanderson has been publishing fantasy novels since the mid-2000s, with his debut book, Elantris, kicking off one of the most celebrated and beloved careers in contemporary literature. As his popularity has grown, Sanderson has become continuously more interactive with his fans, engaging with readers on his YouTube channel, podcast, website, and social media platforms. For total transparency, he even keeps updated percentage bars for readers to track his writing progress, though he'll occasionally announce a secret side project and surprise fans with a whole extra novel (or four of them). Thus, being a Cosmere fan is immensely gratifying.

What Exactly The "Cosmere" Is

The Cosmere is a fictional universe of novels, short stories, novellas, and graphic novels in different subgenres of fantasy. It consists of various book series and standalone stories, with characters and overarching narratives occasionally connecting them. While these series and standalone books can be read individually, reading them as a shared universe can be even more rewarding, much like a comic book world.

Canonically, the Cosmere is a universe with, as specified on Sanderson's website, "a single creation myth, a single cosmology, that gives underlying theorem of magic for all these connected worlds." Different novels and series occur on various planets in the Cosmere, and connections become more apparent as the reader progresses through them. Sanderson also adds, "Certain characters from one series sometimes show up in other series. You don't often need to know this is going on to enjoy the book, but if you keep your eyes open, you'll be rewarded with glimpses of these Worldhoppers now and then."

Which Brandon Sanderson Books Are Part Of The Cosmere

Brandon Sanderson's first novel, Elantris, was also his first entry to the Cosmere. However, in nearly two decades of publishing, he hasn't limited himself to just his one fictional universe. Outside of the Cosmere, Brandon Sanderson was involved in finishing The Wheel of Time series after author Robert Jordan's ing. He's written a series of children's novels called the Alcatraz series, a young adult sci-fi series referred to as the Cytoverse, and a young adult superhero series called The Reckoners.

With those non-Cosmere books in mind, there are plenty of related works. The Mistborn series is the longest-running in the franchise, with seven books out already. These novels occur on a planet called Scadrial, one of the main stages for the overarching events of the Cosmere. So far, there are two "eras" of the Mistborn books, an original trilogy, and four novels in another saga that take place centuries later. There are even more Mistborn novels on the way, with another time jump heading into the next book series.

Other Mistborn include The Stormlight Archive series and several standalone novels. The Stormlight Archive is Sanderson's most acclaimed, mature fantasy series, with four books out. The fifth novel, Wind and Truth, will be released in December 2024, completing the series. Like with Mistborn, another era of The Stormlight Archive will follow, with a time jump. Standalone novels in the Cosmere include Elantris, Warbreaker, Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man.

How Are The Different Cosmere Books Connected?

Characters like Hoid hop between worlds and stories, implying there are forces at work orchestrating events around the Cosmere for a larger purpose.

The Cosmere is connected through various means. The actual, overarching story of the Cosmere is still a mystery, leaving readers to theorize about the parallels between stories, characters, and themes, drawing at the grander narrative. As mentioned, the Cosmere is connected by a unified creation myth and cosmology. Many of Sanderson's stories deal with deities and other celestial entities, some benevolent and some malevolent. Characters like Hoid hop between worlds and stories, implying there are forces at work orchestrating events around the Cosmere for a larger purpose.

Where To Start Reading Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere

Officially, there's no correct way to read through the Cosmere, as there's no proper chronology to follow. However, Brandon Sanderson recently posted a video giving his input. First, he specifies not progressing by publication order, as he believes Elantris to be one of his weaker novels. His starting point, which many readers will agree with, suggests that one should begin the Cosmere with the original Mistborn trilogy. The series is mature and riveting, ties into the grander themes of the Cosmere, and isn't as overwhelming and long as The Stormlight Archive.

• Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)
• The Well of Ascension (2007)
• The Hero of Ages (2008)

Following Mistborn, Sanderson recommends reading two of his standalone novels, Warbreaker and Tress of the Emerald Sea. Warbeaker is an excellent standalone and one of his earlier novels, known for its vibrant and unique magic system. Tress of the Emerald Sea was the first of Brandon Sanderson's secret projects, coming from his record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, which allowed him to self-fund four new novels in 2023.

• Warbreaker (2009)
• Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023)

Next, Brandon Sanderson encourages readers to dive into The Stormlight Archive. They're enormous fantasy novels, each coming in at over 1,000 pages long, but they're incredibly fun, and the characters are a joy to grow attached to. Every page is worth it, allowing the reader to develop a beautiful relationship with the characters and story, occasionally prompting them to leap out of their seat with joy. The Stormlight Archive is supplemented by two novellas, Edgedancer and Dawnshard, which should be read in between novels in this order:

• The Way of Kings (2010)
• Words of Radiance (2014)
• Edgedancer (2016)
• Oathbringer (2017)
• Dawnshard (2020)
• Rhythm of War (2020)

Between reading The Stormlight Archive novels, Brandon Sanderson encourages readers to take breaks with the other standalone novels: Elantris and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. He also states this is a fine time to read Mistborn Era 2. The only novel he claims must be left for afterward is The Sunlit Man, which is intended to be read before The Stormlight Archive book 5.

• The Alloy of Law (2011)
• Shadows of Self (2015)
• The Bands of Mourning (2016)
• The Lost Metal (2022)
• Elantris (2005)
• Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (2023)
• The Sunlit Man (2023)

After that, the only pieces left are the short stories, many of which can be found in Arcanum Unbounded, a collection book of novellas and shorts from the Cosmere. With that order, a reader can catch up in the Cosmere in time for Wind and Truth at the end of 2024. Following 2024, a Mistborn movie is in early development, as well as several novels set in the Cosmere, including the Mistborn Era 3 trilogy, long-awaited Elantris sequels, The Stormlight Archive Era 2, and a brand-new series called Dragonsteel.