✦ Epic Fantasy📚 30+ Novels & Novellas🌍 Cosmere Universe⭐ Hugo & Whitney Award Winner
About Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is an American fantasy author and professor at Brigham Young University, widely regarded as one of the most prolific and inventive voices in modern fantasy. He is the creator of the Cosmere — an expansive interconnected universe spanning multiple worlds and series — and the originator of "Sanderson's Laws," his much-cited principles for constructing believable magic systems. His output is extraordinary: since his debut with Elantris in 2005, he has published more than thirty novels and novellas while maintaining a demanding publishing schedule. When Robert Jordan died in 2007, Sanderson was chosen to complete the iconic Wheel of Time series from Jordan's notes, a task he accomplished across three final volumes. He later founded Dragonsteel Entertainment to manage his publishing and ran a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign in 2022 that raised over $41 million — the most funded publishing project in crowdfunding history. His work rewards dedicated readers with layers of crossover, Easter eggs, and shared mythology.
The Cosmere — Interconnected Universe
All Cosmere series share the same universe, metaphysics, and history. Each series is fully self-contained — but connections between them deepen the experience for long-term readers.
Reader Tip
The flagship Cosmere series. Plan for long books — the shortest main entry is over 1,000 pages. Novellas 1.5 and 3.5 are best read in the positions shown below.
Best Starting Point
Mistborn: The Final Empire is the most recommended entry point for new Sanderson readers — a shorter, self-contained epic with one of his tightest magic systems.
Reader Tip
Set ~300 years after Era 1, in a more Western/industrial setting. Read Era 1 first — Era 2 contains major spoilers for the original trilogy.
Reader Tip
Warbreaker is a standalone Cosmere novel — and reading it before Words of Radiance enriches your experience of the Stormlight Archive significantly.
Context
The Wheel of Time is Robert Jordan's 14-book series. Sanderson completed the final three books after Jordan's death in 2007, working from Jordan's notes, outlines, and completed scenes. These are Jordan's story — Sanderson serves as finisher.
It depends on your commitment level. The Way of Kings is his masterwork — for readers ready for a 1,000-page door stopper, it is one of the finest things in the genre. Mistborn: The Final Empire is the best entry point for new readers: tighter, self-contained, and brilliantly plotted. The Emperor's Soul is the best short read in the Cosmere — a Hugo Award-winning novella that can be finished in an afternoon.
Where should I start with Brandon Sanderson?
Mistborn: The Final Empire is the most commonly recommended starting point — it is shorter than the Stormlight books, entirely self-contained, and showcases his signature magic-system craft beautifully. If you want to dive directly into his biggest work, start with The Way of Kings. Either path leads you into the Cosmere.
Is the Cosmere worth reading?
Yes — emphatically. Each Cosmere series works as a standalone reading experience, but the interconnected universe rewards long-term readers with deep Easter eggs, recurring characters, and a mythology that spans multiple worlds. The more Cosmere you read, the richer each new book becomes. Most readers find themselves planning their entire Cosmere reading order after finishing their first entry.
How many books has Brandon Sanderson written?
Over 30 novels and novellas across multiple universes, not counting his work completing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. He consistently publishes one to two new books per year and has described further Cosmere series in development well into the 2030s.
Do Cosmere books need to be read in order?
Each Cosmere series is fully self-contained within its own continuity — you do not need to have read Mistborn to understand The Way of Kings, for example. However, crossover connections between series become increasingly significant as the Cosmere progresses, and certain revelations in later books assume knowledge of earlier ones. For the fullest experience, reading within each series in publication order is recommended.