Welcome to the official thread for Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere, where we can discuss the books of this epic fantasy universe.
** USE SPOILER TAGS AND LABEL THEM PROPERLY **
Since there are readers discovering the Cosmere for the first time or going through Sanderson's work in various orders, please be considerate when discussing any specific events in the stories! Include the name of the relevant book/work (and section, chapter, etc. if it's that specific) in the spoiler title.
Example:
[SPOILER="The Well of Ascension - Chapter 10"]What an amazing scene![/SPOILER]
[SPOILER="The Well of Ascension - Chapter 10"]What an amazing scene![/SPOILER]
UPCOMING RELEASE:
FOUR SECRET NOVELS BY BRANDON SANDERSON - KICKSTARTER
LATEST RELEASES:
- Rhythm of War (Book 4 of The Stormlight Archive) - November 17, 2020
- Dawnshard (Book "3.5" of the Stormlight Archive) - November 5, 2020 for WoK Kickstarter backers, November 10, 2020 at eBook retailers
Brandon Sanderson is a prolific American writer whose main strengths are his extensive world-building, detailed magic systems, and incredible action scenes. He is most well known for the Mistborn and Stormlight Archive books and completing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.
The Cosmere is the name of the shared universe in which Sanderson's epic fantasy works take place. While each book or series can be read as standalone, they often have references and cameos that connect them to the larger story happening behind the scenes. The most obvious example is the character Hoid, who appears in nearly every Cosmere work. He is a Worldhopper who travels between planets in order to observe and sometimes influence major events. There are other characters capable of moving between worlds, including members of the mysterious organization called The Seventeenth Shard.
The mythology of the Cosmere centers around Adonalsium, the power of creation, which was broken into 16 pieces called Shards. Each Shard represents a facet of Adonalsium and grants godlike powers to whoever posesses it. The Shard holders often come into conflict and have ended up on different worlds of the Cosmere. Magic on each planet (such as Mistborn's Allomancy and The Stormlight Archive's Surgebinding) derives from the Shards that are present.
Sanderson eventually plans to bring the overarching story of the Cosmere to the forefront with Dragonsteel (a prequel series centered on the world Yolen, where Adonalsium's Shattering occurred) and the final Mistborn trilogy (which will take place in an advanced enough time period where travel between planets is common).
Where do I start? page on Brandon's website.
Brandon's own video answering this question: SanderFAQ #4: Where Should I Start With Your Books?
The stories of the Cosmere can be read and enjoyed in any order, but I usually recommend people start with either The Mistborn Trilogy (which consists of The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages) or Warbreaker. The Mistborn Trilogy put Sanderson on the map and remains one of his most popular works, while Warbreaker is a standalone novel that is available for free on his website. You can also go by publication date, starting with Sanderson's first novel Elantris. There are also plenty of standalone novellas like The Emperor's Soul and you can join us in following the ongoing series of The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn Adventures. :)
Organized by the Shardworld on which each takes place...
[ Scadrial ]
Era 1
The Mistborn Trilogy (referred to as the original or first trilogy)
--- The Final Empire (novel 1, often published as Mistborn or Mistborn: The Final Empire)
--- The Well of Ascension (novel 2)
--- The Hero of Ages (novel 3)
Mistborn: Secret History (companion novella to the Mistborn Trilogy, available standalone or in Arcanum Unbounded, best read after The Bands of Mourning)--- The Well of Ascension (novel 2)
--- The Hero of Ages (novel 3)
The Eleventh Metal (short story included in the Mistborn Adventure Game, also available in Arcanum Unbounded, prequel to the trilogy but best read after)
Era 2
Mistborn Adventures (Wax & Wayne series)
--- The Alloy of Law (novel 1)
--- Shadows of Self (novel 2)
--- The Bands of Mourning (novel 3)
--- The Lost Metal (novel 4)
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (short story included in the Alloy of Law Rule Book expansion of the Mistborn Adventure Game, also available in Arcanum Unbounded)--- Shadows of Self (novel 2)
--- The Bands of Mourning (novel 3)
--- The Lost Metal (novel 4)
[ Roshar ]
The Stormlight Archive (Sanderson's 10-book magnum opus)
--- The Way of Kings (novel 1)
--- Words of Radiance (novel 2)
--- Oathbringer (novel 3)
--- Rhythm of War (novel 4)
Edgedancer (novella, available standalone or in Arcanum Unbounded, set between Words of Radiance and Oathbringer)--- Words of Radiance (novel 2)
--- Oathbringer (novel 3)
--- Rhythm of War (novel 4)
Dawnshard (novella, set between Oathbringer and Rhythm of War)
[ Sel ]
Elantris (novel)
The Hope of Elantris (short story, available for free on Sanderson's website or in Arcanum Unbounded)
The Emperor's Soul (novella, available standalone or in Arcanum Unbounded)
[ Nalthis ] Warbreaker (novel, available for free on Sanderson's website)
[ First of the Sun ] Sixth of the Dusk (novella, published in the Shadows Beneath anthology, also available in Arcanum Unbounded)
[ Taldain ] White Sand (graphic novel)
[ Threnody ] Shadows For Silence In The Forests Of Hell (novella published in the Dangerous Women anthology, also available standalone on Kindle or in Arcanum Unbounded)
** Note: the following Sanderson works are NOT part of the Cosmere:
- set on alternate versions of Earth - Reckoners (Steelheart, Firefight, Calamity), The Rithmatist, Alcatraz series, Legion series
- loosely related to Reckoners - The Apocalypse Guard series
- set in a different universe - Skyward
- game adaptation - Infinity Blade series
- from The Wheel of Time - The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, A Memory of Light
BrandonSanderson.com - author's website, follow news about tours/events and his writing progress
A Newbie's Guide to Brandon Sanderson, the Cosmere, and the Stormlight Archive - by author and fan Aidan Moher (aidan)
17thShard.com - official fansite, the forums contain tons of theory discussion and the collection of non-book Cosmere information (aka WoB or Word of Brandon)
Coppermind.net - official wiki, lots of excellent articles including chapter summaries, but do heed the spoiler warnings
Thanks to Flips for providing updates on the release schedule, news, and other helpful resources!
Last edited:
