If you’ve been reading fantasy books for any length of time, then you’ve probably heard of Brandon Sanderson. He’s one of the greatest fantasy authors of our time, but he’s written so many excellent books that it can be hard to know which Brandon Sanderson book to read first or next.
For those who don’t know, Sanderson’s novels encompass long epics, a universe he created called the Cosmere, superheroes, sci-fi, standalones, graphic novels, and more.
Because Sanderson is so prolific and has some huge series, it can be overwhelming knowing which book of his to pick up, whether for the first time or even if you’re a seasoned Sanderson fan. Use the guidelines below to help you decide which Brandon Sanderson book you should read first or next.
But first, we need to sort out what this thing is called the Cosmere, as it spans many of Sanderson’s novels, both series and standalones.
What is the Cosmere? 🚀
According to Sanderson, all his Cosmere books share a single creation myth that gives an underlying theorem of magic for all his connected worlds. Certain characters from one series sometimes show up in other series. As he says on his blog, “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.”
For ease of reading, I’ve put a rocket ship emoji 🚀 next to the title of a book that is part of Sanderson’s Cosmere.
If you’re participating in our 2024 Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reading Challenge (and it’s never too late to join!), September’s theme is to read a book by Brandon Sanderson.
If…
You’ve Never Read a Brandon Sanderson Book Before…
Then you should read Elantris 🚀. This standalone, adult high fantasy book has all the tropes that are classic Sanderson: epic worldbuilding, satisfying surprises, god-like people, clean morals, parallel storylines, and multiple POVs. The plot’s not that complicated, and you don’t need to have read any of the other books that take place in the Cosmere–Sanderson’s shared universe.
Blurb
Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, and filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.
Arelon’s new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping—based on their correspondence—to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.
You Want to Read a Huge Epic Fantasy Series…
You should read the Stormlight Archive 🚀. And you should read it sooner than later so that you have enough time to finish it before you die :). It’s Sanderson’s most famous series and the longest–five chunky books that make the 7th Harry Potter look like a snack. Here are the books in order:
- The Way of Kings
- Words of Radiance
- Edgedancer (novella)
- Oathbringer
- Dawnshard (novella)
- Rhythm of War
- Wind and Truth (comes out Dec. 2024)
But wait! There’s more. Or will be more. There will also be another five book series that takes place on the same world/planet as in these first five.
Blurb of The Way of Kings
Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.
It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.
One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.
You Want to Read All Sanderson’s Epic Fantasy Books in Order…
Currently, the only multiple epic fantasy series that take place on the same planet is the Mistborn saga and the Wax and Wayne series, both of which are in the Cosmere 🚀. Read the Mistborn series first.
- Mistborn
- The Well of Ascension
- The Hero of Ages
Blurb of Mistborn
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler’s most hellish prison. Kelsier “snapped” and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.
But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel’s plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she’s a half-Skaa orphan, but she’s lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.
Then, journey into the Wax and Wayne series 🚀, which takes place three hundred years after The Hero of Ages. It has a much more steampunk, and even a flintlock, feel.
- The Alloy of Law
- Shadows of Self
- The Bands of Mourning
- The Lost Metal
Blurb of The Alloy of Law
As science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.
One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.
After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.
You’re Craving Some Sci-Fi…
Then you should take flight with Spensa, a teenager who longs to be a starfighter pilot, in Brandon Sanderson’s YA Skyward Flight series.
- Skyward
- Starsight
- Sunreach (novella)
- Redawn (novella)
- Cytonic
- Evershore (novella)
- Defiant
Blurb for Skyward
Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.
You’re Craving Some Sci-Fi But Don’t Want to Read an Entire Series…
Then Brandon Sanderson’s book, Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, might just be perfect for you! It’s a story in three acts/novellas.
Blurb
Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It’s his hallucinations who are mad.
A genius of unrivaled aptitude, Stephen can learn any new skill, vocation, or art in a matter of hours. However, to contain all of this, his mind creates hallucinatory people—Stephen calls them aspects—to hold and manifest the information. Wherever he goes, he is joined by a team of imaginary experts to give advice, interpretation, and explanation. He uses them to solve problems . . . for a price.
His brain is getting a little crowded and the aspects have a tendency of taking on lives of their own. When a company hires him to recover stolen property—a camera that can allegedly take pictures of the past—Stephen finds himself in an adventure crossing oceans and fighting terrorists. What he discovers may upend the foundation of three major world religions—and, perhaps, give him a vital clue into the true nature of his aspects.
Like the idea of sci-fi but not excited about all the science? Check out these 25 sci-fi books that are perfect for people who don’t like the hard sciences.
You Want to Read a Romantic Fantasy…
You should check out Yumi and the Nightmare Painter 🚀, an adult standalone perfect for fans of Asian pop culture, a dash of romance, some weird plot surprises, and fascinating fantasy elements. It’s the Brandon Sanderson book with the most romantic elements, and it’s a standalone.
This is also one of Sanderson’s “secret” projects (not so secret now), one of four novels that he wrote during COVID and published using Kickstarter. They have beautiful artwork, so I highly recommend reading physical copies if possible!
Blurb
Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster?
You Want to Read a YA Series…
You’ll enjoy the Reckoners series, which is a trilogy about superheroes that aren’t so super. And because this is Brandon Sanderson, there are a few novellas that take place between the main books.
- Steelheart
- Mitosis (novella)
- Firefight
- Calamity
- Lux (audio exclusive novella)
Blurb of Steelheart
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his will.
Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart — the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning — and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.
You Want Something a Little Different…
Then you should read The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England. It’s another of Sanderson’s “secret projects” and the only one that doesn’t take place in the Cosmere. The writing is different than Sanderson’s typical style: no epic stories, no hardcore worldbuilding or magic system, and more character development and a sillier main character than in his other adult fantasy books.
It’s well worth reading, though it won’t give you a great view of Sanderson’s typical writing style.
Blurb
A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the “real world” should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?
You Love Audio Books…
Then look for the radio drama version of Warbreaker 🚀 because it has awesome music, fantastic voices, and feels like you’re walking the streets yourself. The story is phenomenal too.
Blurb
Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.
Another great Brandon Sanderson audio book is The Original, a sci-fi thriller found only on audio. It’s also very different from his typical long fantasy epics, and has an end that will stick in your head long after you finish listening.
Blurb
When Holly Winseed wakes up in a hospital room in the near future, her memory compromised and a new identity imposed on her, a team of government agents wastes no time stating their objective. With intent to infiltrate and defeat the terrorist group ICON, the agents tell Holly that she is now a Provisional Replica and has one week to hunt down and kill her Original for the murder of her husband, Jonathan.
If she succeeds, she’ll assume her Original’s place in society. If she fails, her life will end. Holly’s progress is monitored by an assigned contact that feeds her information as she confronts the blank, robotic world around her, discovering that others view life through the theme of their own choosing.
You Want to Read an Adult Standalone Brandon Sanderson Book
You should read Tress of the Emerald Sea 🚀. It’s a tale of adventure with weird worldbuilding and hints of The Princess Bride. The narrator is a character who crops up in some of the other Cosmere novels, but you don’t have to read them before journeying into this lovely story.
Blurb
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?
Or, you could pick up The Sunlit Man 🚀. I haven’t read this one yet, but my husband has, and he suggests reading the Stormlight Archive before this novel, though it’s not essential; some of the characters just overlap.
The Sunlit Man is a little darker than Tress of the Emerald Sea, so pick up which one best suits your mood. Both are excellent choices and have stunning artwork.
Blurb
Running. Putting distance between himself and the relentless Night Brigade has been Nomad’s strategy for years. Staying one or two steps ahead of his pursuers by skipping through the Cosmere from one world to the next.
But now, his powers too depleted to escape, Nomad finds himself trapped on Canticle, a planet that will kill anyone who doesn’t keep moving. Fleeing the fires of a sunrise that melts the very stones, he is instantly caught up in the struggle between a heartless tyrant and the brave rebels who defy him.
Failure means a quick death, incinerated by the sun… or a lifetime as a mindless slave. Tormented by the consequences of his past, Nomad must fight not only for his survival―but also for his very soul.
You’re Craving a YA Standalone
Check out the Rithmatist set in a world where chalk drawings come to life. Per Sanderson, there’s a unique magic system and fun/believable characters. Be warned though: not everything gets wrapped up satisfactorily, and there’s no sequel on the horizon. So read at your own risk.
Blurb
More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.
You Love Graphic Novels…
Then you should read White Sand 🚀. There are three volumes, all set in a world in the Cosmere. Being a graphic novel, and only three volumes, it lacks the scope his other long, epic series.
Blurb
On the planet of Taldain, the legendary Sand Masters harness arcane powers to manipulate sand in spectacular ways. But when they are slaughtered in a sinister conspiracy, the weakest of their number, Kenton, believes himself to be the only survivor. With enemies closing in on all sides, Kenton forges an unlikely partnership with Khriss — a mysterious Darksider who hides secrets of her own. Assassins are coming for them from all directions, and Kenton’s only true ally is Khriss, a visitor from the other side of the planet who has an agenda of her own to pursue.
You Want to Read a Middle Grade Series
You’ll like Alcatraz Vs. the Evil Librarians. Silly and ridiculous like the Percy Jackson books, but with a cool magic system involving sand and ocular lenses and, of course, evil librarians!
- Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
- The Scrivener’s Bones
- The Knights of Crystallia
- The Shattered Lens
- The Dark Talent
- Bastille vs. The Evil Librarians
Blurb
On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry gets a bag of sand in the mail-his only inheritance from his father and mother. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bag of sand. It is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. Alcatraz must stop them, using the only weapon he has: an incredible talent for breaking things.
You Enjoy Video Games…
Then check out the novella, Infinity Blade. It’s based on the video game of the same name and digs deeper into the fantastical world of the video game. I don’t think you need to be familiar with the game to understand the novel, though it probably helps.
- Infinity Blade: Awakening
- Infinity Blade: Redemption
Blurb of Infinity Blade: Awakening
Trained from birth in swordplay and combat, a young knight named Siris has journeyed to the Dark Citadel with a single purpose: fight through the army of Titans to face the tyrannical God King in one-on-one combat. This was his father’s sacred mission, and his father’s before him, going back countless generations in an effort to free their people from enslavement.
But when Siris somehow succeeds where all those from his bloodline previously have failed, he finds himself cast into a much larger world, filled with warriors and thieves, ancient feuds and shifting alliances, Deathless immortals and would-be kings. His quest for freedom will take him on an epic journey in search of the mythical figure known as the Worker of Secrets – the one being in the world who can unravel the secrets of the Infinity Blade.
You’re Craving Even More of the Cosmere…
Then you should read Arcanum Unbounded 🚀, a collection of short stories/novellas that take place on the different planets in Sanderson’s Cosmere. It encompasses six worlds in all across nine works of short fiction.
Want to read more short stories? Check out these 21 short story collections that will help you devour more stories in a shorter amount of time!
Which Brandon Sanderson book or series will you dive into first/next?
