Reading the brandon sanderson books in order brings readers countless hours of joy and an escape in the wonderful words the author has created over the years. He attended brigham young university majoring in english after completing a twoyear missionary lds. Some are put before certain books so that you can understand all crossovers and pick up on the easter eggs. To name one example, how the shards are in stormlight is an expansion of things we learned about them in mistborn. Jan 24, 2018 the main thing you would be missing has to do with the order brandon wrote the books. Currently elantris, mistborn, warbreaker, the stormlight archive, white sand, and anything from arcanum unbounded are part of the cosmere, and ive tried my best to make the distinction clear. The origin of all the magic systems, divine conflicts and even life in the cosmere. Dec 15, 2019 brandon sanderson is an american fantasy and science fiction writer. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The stormlight archive 4 book series kindle edition. All of the books share a single creation myth though not all cultures are aware of it, a single cosmology, and are. Most of the authors adult fiction books are part of the brandon sanderson cosmere world. He also writes the alcatraz series and the stormlight archive planned for 10 books. Im planning on using books and 14 as a subtle introduction to sanderson, and moving into the cosmere afterward before a second round with wot.
But i thought it would be fun to see how people ranked the novels in the cosmere from favorite to least favorite. That said, it really doesnt matter which cosmere series you start with, which means any of these books are good starting points. And if there are any novels you havent read, feel free to make a list that doesnt include them. I do have some novels planned which would deal with all of this in a more direct way, but they are decades away from being written. This cosmere reading order focuses on a series of books by brandon. The cosmere books in chronological order 20 books goodreads.
Arcanum unbounded an allnew 120page stormlight archive novella, edgedancer, is the crown jewel of arcanum unbounded. Brandons official introduction to the cosmere is here, including a recommended reading order. Publication order is a common suggestion, though this becomes less practical as the cosmere expands. White sand graphic novels arent my thing, but youll need the cosmere info. He has written several novellas as well as a short fiction collection called arcanum unbounded. This includes the stormlight archive, both mistborn series, elantris, warbreaker, and various novellas available on amazon, including the emperors soul, which won a hugo award in 20. If youve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behindthescenes information, that collection is a. The cosmere is the greater universe in which the stormlight archive and all other brandon sandersons adult fiction books take place. These books include series that have already begun eg stormlight archives, elantris, mistborn, and others, and some that have not yet started eg aether of night, dark one, and dragonsteel. Ranking brandon sandersons cosmere books whistling in the wind. Next i started with the way of kings, but am now kind of worried if i might read the series in the wrong order. Whats the best order to read the cosmere brandon sanderson. Brandon reading order thread on 17s thanks for ops chart.
Following the 1987 initial release of games workshops warhammer 40,000 wargame, set in a far future science fantasy universe, the company began publishing background literature that expands previous material, adds new material, and describes the universe, its characters, and its events in detail. Brandon sanderson is american science fiction and fantasy writer. The cosmere is a fictional shared universe where several of brandon sandersons books take place. Brandon sanderson is a bestselling american fantasy and science fiction writer. However, knowledge of the cosmere will certainly help enrich any readers understanding of sandersons novels. These wonderful works convey the expanse of the cosmere and tell exciting tales of adventure that sanderson fans have come to expect, including the hugo award. This page contains photos of my fan art of the cosmere stories by brandon sanderson. Brandon sanderson cosmere reading order hannah wiest. The native nebraskan is best known for his mistborn series in addition to finishing the wheel of time series following the passing of the original author, robert jordan.
The main thing you would be missing has to do with the order brandon wrote the books. Though most of them are standalone novels or series with their own intricate lore and magic systems, they each share subtle connections through an overarching metanarrative. Mapping brandon sandersons cosmere raises so many questions. An allnew 120page stormlight archive novella, edgedancer, will be the crown jewel of arcanum unbounded. He is commonly known for mistborn series which have won various awards and his epic work in concluding robert jordan fantasy series, the wheel of time. In oathbringer, the third volume of the new york times bestselling stormlight archive, humanity faces a new desolation with the return of the voidbringers, a foe with numbers as great as their thirst for vengeance. I altered the structure and added more stuff on this one. Following the 1987 initial release of games workshops warhammer 40,000 wargame, set in a far future science fantasy universe, the company began publishing background literature that expands previous material, adds new material, and describes the universe, its characters, and its events in detail since 1997 the bulk of background literature has been published by the. To date, these series are mistborn, warbreaker, elantris, white sand and stormlight archive. Brandon sanderson was born in the year 1975 in lincoln, nebraska, usa. In what order would you rank brandon sandersons series in. Reading order for cosmere series by brandon sanderson elantris 2005. The cosmere sequence has a clear story that brandon wants to tell and is fairly firmly outlined as 35 novels, plus a variety of novellas and other works, with the. I plan to do something like this, as things progress.
What it is, in a nutshell, is a connected universe where all of sandersons adult fantasy novels take place in unless specified otherwise, so far all his adult novels are indeed set in the cosmere, and its his ya fiction that is not. So while you do have to make sure your read each series in its proper order for example, mistborn 1 before mistborn 2 you dont have to worry about ordering your reading of the various serieses in relation to one another for example, you could start with stormlight 1 or mistborn 1 but dont read stormlight 2 before stormlight. Jul 27, 2018 for the purposes of this answer, im going to include 1book series such as warbreaker, but not solo novellas such as shadows for silence. Then i got to know that many of his series are connected and happen in the same universe cosmere. Many of brandons book series are set in a shared universe called the cosmere. In the meantime, you can find a lot of information gathered from my books and interviews on fan sites like the wiki or seventeenth shard. I introduce brandon sandersons cosmere books to people so often that i. These wonderful works convey the expanse of the cosmere and tell exciting tales of adventure that sanderson fans have come to expect.
I recommended reading the books in sequential order rather than trying to dive into the second book in a. Ya book set in a minor shardworld it would follow one of hoids apprentices, set in the future of the cosmere between era 3 and 4 stranded on a minor shardworld and trying to figure out their kitebased magic system. However, there are characters from one series that appear in another. Oct 09, 2017 understanding brandon sandersons cosmere. Brandon sanderson biography, age, net worth, booksnovels. Jun 06, 2017 mapping brandon sandersons cosmere raises so many questions about his future books. Its not necessary to read any of the others in order to understand the events of the stormlight books. If youve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behindthescenes information, that collection is a mustread. The album is a series of vignettes featuring characters, creatures, and scenes from most of the published cosmere novels, novellas, and short stories.
He is best known for the cosmere universe, in which most of his fantasy novels most notably the mistborn series and the stormlight archive are set. Collection of books by brandon sanderson that are part of or will be part of the cosmere. Its likely that ive missed things, sandersons a busy dude. Cosmere universe reading order im in the process of making my way through the wheel of time for the very first time. Mostly each series is almost completely separate from the others. Oct 03, 2018 a beginners guide to reading brandon sandersons work. Jun 05, 2019 id recommend this order, by drew mccaffrey.
He joined brigham young university as a biochemistry major and consequently took a break to do mission work with the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The cosmere is the fictional universe i created for many of my fantasy novels to take place within. Where to start with brandon sanderson and the stormlight archive. In oathbringer, the third volume of the new york times bestselling stormlight archive, humanity faces a new desolation with the return of the voidbringers, a foe with numbers as great as their thirst for. Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe, called the cosmere. The alloy of law is an okay jumping in spot for the cosmere, but keep in mind that this book has spoilers for the original mistborn trilogy.
In what order should rick riordans mythological series be read to make the most sense, and what is. This short fiction collection is set in the cosmere universe. Hopefully thisll help you figure out where to start, though. Most reading orders will point out a few books that can be considered starter books. May 07, 2017 but i thought it would be fun to see how people ranked the novels in the cosmere from favorite to least favorite. That is, the books take place on different worlds, and each of these worlds is set in the same small galaxy referred to as the cosmere. That is, the books take place on different worlds, and each of these worlds is set in the same small. I recommended reading the books in sequential order rather than trying to dive into the second book in a series without having read the first book. It wont happen until the future, however, and will likely happen only online. Even though the stormlight archive novels are the first in the adaptation and already assigned script writers, the company is also seeking the adaptation of the final empire the first book in mistborn series.
He is best known for the cosmere universe, in which most of his fantasy novels are most notably known in the mistborn series and the stormlight archive are set. Nov, 2017 the cosmere can be likened to how most or indeed all of stephen kings novels and stories take place in the same universe, something that is for the most part completely irrelevant to the book at hand, but occasionally becomes important when characters cross from one novel to another, explains adam whitehead in a rough guide to. The cosmere is the greater universe in which the stormlight archive and many of brandon sandersons other adult fiction books take place. All of the books share a single creation myth, a single cosmology and are connected by an overarching. I would suggest that the reading order does not matter as yet as sanderson is planning to release many more novels in the cosmere setting. He delves further into the nature of the cosmere and how it works as time goes on, so later books build upon that, regardless of their series. Darkside graphic novel volume 1 darkside graphic novel volume 2 darkside graphic novel volume 3 shadows for silence the dust brigade sixth of the dusk. Brandon sanderson is an american fantasy and science fiction writer. Sanderson first studied biochemistry at brigham young university, but changed his major into english literature and went on to obtain a masters degree in creative writing in 2005. For the purposes of this answer, im going to include 1book series such as warbreaker, but not solo novellas such as shadows for silence. The cosmere can be likened to how most or indeed all of stephen kings novels and stories take place in the same universe, something that is for the most part completely irrelevant to the book at hand, but occasionally becomes important when characters cross from one novel to another, explains adam whitehead in a rough guide to.
So what else do i need to know in order to read these awesome books. Because there are short stories showing some of what is going on behind the main stories of the novels, weve gathered some of them into a collection called arcanum unbounded. Ranking the cosmere novels general brandon discussion. Now this does not mean you need to read, say, mistborn to understand stormlight. A beginners guide to reading brandon sandersons work. My entry into brandon sandersons works is mistborn trilogy, i finished and loved it. A newbies guide to brandon sanderson, the cosmere, and. A rough chronological ordering of current cosmere works is. This list is intended for me to read brandon sandersons cosmere books with some understanding of the temporal dimension cue twilight zone. It includes the mistborn series as well as stormlight archive. That is, each book he writes is set on a unique world, and each of these worlds is set in the same cosmere. For simplicitys sake, im going to leave out the novellas like the ones in au and just stick to novels. The novel is the second book of ten planned in the stormlight archive series, but it is less wellknown that it is also the eighth novel in his cosmere setting, which will eventually total over 40 novels. Reading order for brandon sandersons cosmere literature.
Shadows for silence in the forests of hell 20, short story. Brandon sanderson has plans in place to write many books set in different worlds, but in the same cosmere. First on my list, as the best series in the cosmere, is the stormlight arc. Brandon sanderson born december 19, 1975 is an american fantasy and science fiction writer. Brandon sanderson is an american author of fantasy and scifi novels. The pride and joy of fantasy author brandon sanderson, the cosmere is a collection of fantasy works that share the same universe. As a result, books set in the cosmere share a single cosmology and underlying rules of magic, and some characters from one world will make appearances on other worlds. There is no set entrypoint to the cosmere universe, and it is not strictly necessary to know about the cosmere in order to understand sandersons books.
Recommended reading order for noncosmere books since these books arent interconnected, reading them in the sequential order of the respective series is recommended. Reading order for cosmere series by brandon sanderson science. The timelines are in order wherever it is necessary. See the complete the cosmere series book list in order, box sets or omnibus editions, and companion titles. Brandon sanderson reading guide spoiler free youtube. I was thinking to simply go with publication order elantris, mistborn trilogy. Currently elantris, mistborn, warbreaker, the stormlight archive, white sand, and anything from arcanum unbounded are part of the cosmere, and ive. He is also known for finishing robert jordans epic fantasy series the wheel of time. He is also known for finishing robert jordans high fantasy series the wheel of time.
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