Figuring out where to start in the vast collection of Brandon Sanderson books might present as much of a challenge as a fantasy hero beginning an epic quest. The Cosmere, Sanderson’s fantasy universe, represents only a part of his writing collection. While the series that take place within it are all excellent, avid readers should not ignore the other options.
For readers new to Sanderson’s work, The Emperor’s Soul is often recommended as an excellent introduction to his writing style and the Cosmere universe.
However, for those interested in his non-Cosmere work, stories like Firstborn or Perfect State can provide a good taste of his science fiction writing.
This list of Brandon Sanderson’s books in order organizes his publications by date within the series that make up the Cosmere, those beyond its borders, and his standalones, anthologies, and collaborations in the Magic the Gathering franchise.
Cosmere Books:
- Mistborn
- Elantris
- Arcanum Unbounded
- Stormlight Archive
- Warbreaker
- Short Novels
Non-Cosmere Books:
Cosmere Series Order
Elantris Books
The first trilogy in the Cosmere collection launches readers into a world of fantasy, magic, peril, and adventure. The stories follow enchanting characters through Arelon, the magical capital of the world, and into the gritty and twisted secrets that lie underneath the beauty. The second title listed here is a short story that fills in what Brandon Sanderson calls a plot hole from the original. The final book involves assassins, magical scepters, forging souls, and talented people trapped both figuratively and literally.
Mistborn Books
Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)
The ash falls and the rulers reign infinitely until a prisoner discovers Mistborn powers and launches a plan that targets the Lord Ruler himself. The criminal crew involves a wide variety of colorful characters. The book offers adventure, magic, and plenty of twists and turns.
The Lord Ruler and the hero are both gone, but the new Mistborn talented struggle on. Changes in the world keep characters on edge and force them to use their unique talents during tiny conflicts and giant battles alike.
The drive to save the world continues in the next book in the Mistborn series. New heroes arise and mystical forces cause mysterious conflicts on all sides.
This book skips 300 years into the future to introduce a unique modern flair to the world filled with magic, martial arts, and political machinations.
Family obligations and political upheaval blend in this book filled with labor strife, fighting crime, and conflict on every side.
Strange metal minds once under the command of the Lord Ruler return from legends of the past. New adventures and dangers await the characters in this book.
This book is a look back in time to the legends that surround the earlier part of the Mistborn series.
New explosive technology melds with magic in the book that pits detectives against weird gods and their followers.
Stormlight Archive Series Books
One of Brandon Sanderson’s most popular works, this epic fantasy series takes place in a stormy land named Roshar. All the books send readers on amazing adventures fraught with unique magics, honor and redemption themes, and through intricate worlds that feel real.
The first book introduces the world of Roshar and the storms that shape its very existence. Shardblades create epic warriors, and wars and subterfuge surround them. This is the tale of a commander with troubling visions and a woman who plans to steal from his knights.
Assassins, military slaves, high princes with power, and all the twisted threads of epic fantasy wind through this second book in the series.
Time marches on, and a forever-young knight must navigate court life, the horrors of the looming Darkness, and more.
Voidbringers return for vengeance, and the amazing characters Sanderson creates must find their own powers and use unique magic to overcome. This book introduces a new city above the storms.
This novella offers readers a look into background characters and situations with the unique setting of a ghost ship and ancestral homes.
The enemy invades, and folks must band together to overcome the new brutality. The Knights Radiant and new technological discoveries both offer hope to a beleaguered world.
Not out yet! Brandon Sanderson promises an explosive finish to the Stormlight Archive series in the Cosmere universe.
Secret Projects Books
This more recent series in the Cosmere follows different characters through unique adventures. It starts with Tress, who must voyage to find the Midnight Seas sorceress, includes a time-travelling adventurer, mysteries in the dark streets filled with spirits, and finishes up with a unique man trapped on a murderous planet. They are all standalone books. The last one, The Sunlit Man, exists with the help of the top-ranking Kickstarter campaign.
Arcanum Unbounded (2016) – This is an omnibus of all Elantris and Mistborn books up to this point. It contains related works, too.
Cosmere Short Works
Sixth of Dusk and Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell are two novellas in the Cosmere universe published in 2014 and 2015 respectively. The first tells the story of a lost trapper battling predators and discovering magic on a mysterious island. The second is a single published short story set in a forest of the dead where a woman breaks the rules and fights to protect her family and herself.
Beyond the Cosmere
The Alcatraz Books
This children’s book series follows a unique hero, Alcatraz Smedry, on various quests to rescue things, discover secrets, save cities, battle robots, and more from evil librarians and their minions. It’s an adventurous ride all over the magical side of Earth and lands beyond.
Infinity Blade
This duology in Brandon Sanderson books follows an untested knight in his battle against Titans, kings, and many other enemies. They cover a complex tale that is inspired by the video game “Infinity Blade,” put out by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games. The author adds more exciting details and storylines to the in-game adventure.
Awakening (2011)
Redemption (2013)
Legion Books
This novella series follows Stephen Leeds, a man with multiple unique, genius, and insane personalities. Together, they solve problems, find stolen property, and make for an amazing storyline.
The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds (2018) is the collected trilogy in one book.
Reckoners Books
Ordinary people get amazing powers after a mysterious burst in the sky. They became feared and powerful, with one man rising to the top in the first book: Steelheart. The Reckoners, a group of skilled assassins, fight back. The series carries through the unique adventure of freedom and loss, new powers rising and old ones coming back to haunt the characters.
Lux, a Texas Reckoners book, was published in 2021.
Skyward Books
This young adult series begins with a girl dreaming of flight and the magic she discovers that makes it possible. It is an ongoing tale of growth, discovery, and battle against alien species and outer space mysteries.
This collection also includes four short stories or novellas, three of which are co-authored with Janci Patterson. They include Sunreach, ReDawn, Defending Eslysium, and Evershore.
Standalone Novels
Two princesses, a god-king, a lesser god, and a host of unique characters fill this book with unique storylines. They use a unique biochromatic magic that uses the power of color to solve problems both epic and quite small.
This young adult book introduces a new type of magic: rithmatics, which gives life to chalk drawings. A simple young man must discover his power to stop a looming threat from the Wild Chalklings, stop kidnappings, and save the world.
This novella combines detective work in a real Earth city with unique secrets, horrible mass murders, and a single day to solve it all.
The Original (2020)
With Mary Robinette Kowal, this standalone audiobook explores the theme of immortality through nanotechnology, a significant aspect of the story. Available through various audiobook services.
As if all this is not enough to complete the list of Brandon Sanderson books, he also published quite a few short stories through the years.
Sanderson has also contributed to various anthologies and collections, including works for Tor.com and other publishers. He has written tie-in fiction for the Magic: The Gathering franchise and completed The Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan’s death in 2007.
