I introduce Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books to people so often that I thought it would be a good idea to write up my “official” recommended reading order. You could, of course, read in order of publication, but I prefer certain books to be grouped together. As Brandon publishes more Cosmere books, I will update this post! (Last updated 9/17/2021)
Before going into the recommendation, the question of “What is the Cosmere?” should be addressed. You can read this post on Tor.com or the summary from The Coppermind (Brandon’s fan wiki). Basically, the Cosmere is a fictional universe where many of Brandon Sanderon’s epic fantasy books and series are set. While the books can be read and enjoyed without knowledge of the Cosmere, an understanding of the bigger picture adds to the reading experience tremendously. There is a larger story developing beyond those in individual books that Brandon is gradually revealing. Fans love spotting cameos, making connections, and theorizing.
I think newcomers to the Cosmere should start with Warbreaker. It’s currently a stand-alone novel, short for epic fantasy, and has strong character development and just enough romance to give it that somethin’ somethin’. Best of all, you can read it for free on Brandon’s website. For free.
Elantris is a good second book. The premise is a foil of Warbreaker’s and it is also currently a stand-alone. I think Elantris should be read toward the beginning of your Cosmere journey, since it is Brandon’s first published book and shows signs of being his earlier work — but still good! After Elantris, read the short story The Hope of Elantris and the Hugo Award-winning novella The Emperor’s Soul, set on the same planet.
Now that you’re hopefully committed, I recommend the Mistborn trilogy: The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages. My own introduction to Brandon more than ten years ago, this trilogy shows off what he is best known for — compelling magic systems and world-building. It is referred to as Mistborn Era 1, as there will be a total of four (maybe five!) installments set in different time periods, a sort of through-line for the Cosmere. After The Final Empire, read the short story The Eleventh Metal.
At this point, it is a good time to read The Way of Kings, the first book in The Stormlight Archive, Brandon’s epic ten-book opus (four books out so far). Because I admittedly haven’t read many books in the fantasy genre apart from Brandon’s, if I hadn’t already read Mistborn Era 1 and Warbreaker before The Way of Kings, I might have quit. The learning curve is quite steep with the large cast of characters and mysterious lore, but there is a payoff (fondly dubbed the Sanderlanche), and it is well worth it.
Next, you can read Mistborn Era 2, which has three of four books published: The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, and The Bands of Mourning. The fourth, The Lost Metal, is set to release in late 2022. Era 2 takes place 300 years after the events of Era 1 in a Wild West-slash-Steampunk setting. The magic system mixes with guns in interesting ways, and the planet of Scadrial is further explored and revealed.
For a break between long books, read the cheeky short story Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania and the novella Mistborn: Secret History. Secret History is a companion book to Mistborn Era 1 but includes spoilers for Era 2, so I recommend reading it after The Bands of Mourning. It has fascinating glimpses behind the scenes and juicy information about the Cosmere. These two pieces can be found in Arcanum Unbounded, a collection of every piece of Cosmere short fiction released up to 2016.
After Mistborn Era 2, move onto The Stormlight Archive 2, Words of Radiance. So thick that the publisher had to invent new binding technology to fit everything into one volume, this book is my favorite Stormlight installment so far. You’re seeing more and more of the Cosmere revealed, and it’s fascinating.
Now, read the remaining pieces of short fiction in Arcanum Unbounded: Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, Sixth of the Dusk, a White Sand excerpt (actually a graphic novel, more below), and Edgedancer. The first three pieces are set on Cosmere planets not yet explored in full-length novels, and Edgedancer is a novella that takes place between Stormlight 2 and 3.
After catching up on all the short fiction, you are ready for The Stormlight Archive 3, Oathbringer. Even thicker than its predecessor, Oathbringer continues the Stormlight saga with more worldhopper cameos, more heart-stopping action, and increasingly higher stakes.
Brandon branched out from books to create White Sand, a trilogy of graphic novels. This series further explores a mysterious character seen in previous Cosmere books.
And finally, we have The Stormlight Archive 4, Rhythm of War. The Stormlight Archive is actually designed to be two five-book arcs with a time skip in between, so Rhythm of War spends some time preparing for the big climax of the first arc. However, it has its own share of reveals, conclusions, and Cosmere tidbit drops.
Happy reading! I hope you enjoy Brandon’s work as much as I do.
