Brandon Sanderson Books in Order cover image

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Quick answer: start with Mistborn Era 1 (The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages), then move on to the Stormlight Archive.

That’s the order that gives you the most satisfying entry point into the Cosmere, with the fewest spoilers and the least waiting around.

Below is the full breakdown - a recommended reading order for new readers, the complete publication order if you’d rather read it the way the rest of the world did, and answers to the questions that come up most.

If you’re after our opinion on which of his books are actually worth prioritising rather than just the order to read them in, see our ranked guide to the best Brandon Sanderson books.

What Is the Cosmere?

The Cosmere is the shared universe behind most of Brandon Sanderson’s adult fantasy. Different series take place on different planets, all connected by a common cosmology and a magic system built on something called Investiture.

You don’t need to understand any of that to enjoy a single series on its own - Mistborn works perfectly well by itself - but the connections become increasingly rewarding the more of it you read. Nothing is fully gated behind another series; the crossovers are bonuses, not homework.

1. Mistborn Era 1

  • The Final Empire
  • The Well of Ascension
  • The Hero of Ages

A complete, self-contained trilogy and the best entry point into the Cosmere. Tight, propulsive, and it wraps up in three books.

If you tear through it and want more in the same vein, we’ve also got a guide to books like Mistborn.

Mistborn: The Final Empire book cover

2. Warbreaker

  • Warbreaker

A standalone that pays off later. There’s a character and an object that carry over into the Stormlight Archive, and reading Warbreaker first means you catch the reference instead of having it explained to you.

Warbreaker book cover

3. The Stormlight Archive (Arc One)

  • The Way of Kings
  • Words of Radiance
  • Edgedancer (novella - slot in after Words of Radiance, optional but it deepens a supporting character who matters more later)
  • Oathbringer
  • Dawnshard (novella - slot in after Oathbringer, short and it sets up events that pay off in book four)
  • Rhythm of War
  • Wind and Truth

Sanderson’s flagship series, and as of Wind and Truth (December 2024) the first five-book arc is complete.

The Way of Kings book cover

4. Mistborn Era 2

  • The Alloy of Law
  • Shadows of Self
  • The Bands of Mourning
  • The Lost Metal

A time-skip sequel series set centuries after Era 1 - faster, lighter, and more of a heist-adventure tone.

The Alloy of Law book cover

5. The Standalone Cosmere Novels

  • Elantris
  • Tress of the Emerald Sea
  • Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
  • The Sunlit Man
  • Isles of the Emberdark

These can be read any time after Mistborn Era 1, in any order.

If standalones are your preference generally, our guide to the best standalone fantasy novels has more in that vein.

Elantris book cover

Publication Order

If you’d rather read everything in the order it was actually released, here’s the full main-line Cosmere bibliography.

This is how the connections were gradually revealed to readers in real time, with no advance knowledge of what was coming.

  1. Elantris (2005)
  2. Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)
  3. The Well of Ascension (2007)
  4. The Hero of Ages (2008)
  5. Warbreaker (2009)
  6. The Way of Kings (2010)
  7. The Alloy of Law (2011)
  8. The Emperor’s Soul (novella, 2012)
  9. Words of Radiance (2014)
  10. Shadows of Self (2015)
  11. The Bands of Mourning (2016)
  12. Edgedancer (novella, 2017)
  13. Oathbringer (2017)
  14. Dawnshard (novella, 2020)
  15. Rhythm of War (2020)
  16. The Lost Metal (2022)
  17. Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023)
  18. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (2023)
  19. The Sunlit Man (2024)
  20. Wind and Truth (2024)
  21. Isles of the Emberdark (2025)

Series-by-Series Breakdown

Mistborn Era 1

Set on Scadrial, centred on Allomancy - a magic system where swallowed metals are “burned” to grant powers. Complete trilogy, no cliffhanger between books.

  • The Final Empire
  • The Well of Ascension
  • The Hero of Ages

Mistborn Era 2

Same world, 300 years later, now with guns, trains, and a noir-adventure tone.

  • The Alloy of Law
  • Shadows of Self
  • The Bands of Mourning
  • The Lost Metal

The Stormlight Archive

Set on Roshar. Planned as two five-book arcs; the first is now finished.

  • The Way of Kings
  • Words of Radiance
  • Edgedancer (novella)
  • Oathbringer
  • Dawnshard (novella)
  • Rhythm of War
  • Wind and Truth

Standalones

Each can be read on its own with no prior Cosmere knowledge required.

  • Elantris
  • Warbreaker
  • Tress of the Emerald Sea
  • Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
  • The Sunlit Man
  • Isles of the Emberdark

Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I read Brandon Sanderson’s books in?

Start with Mistborn Era 1, then move to the Stormlight Archive. It’s the order that gives you a complete, satisfying trilogy first before committing to the larger series, and it’s the order most first-time readers are pointed toward.

Do I need to read the whole Cosmere before starting the Stormlight Archive?

No. The Stormlight Archive is written to stand on its own. There are connections to other Cosmere books, but nothing is required reading - they’re rewarding extras for attentive readers, not prerequisites.

Is the Stormlight Archive finished?

The first five-book arc is complete as of Wind and Truth (December 2024).

Sanderson has described the series as eventually running to two five-book arcs, so more is planned, but arc one now has a proper ending.

Do I need to read the novellas (Edgedancer, Dawnshard, The Emperor’s Soul)?

They’re optional, but worth it if you’re reading closely. Edgedancer and Dawnshard both feed directly into later Stormlight books, and The Emperor’s Soul (a Hugo Award winner) is a strong standalone in its own right.

What’s Brandon Sanderson writing outside the Cosmere?

Quite a lot, as of 2026. Songs of the Dead launches a new non-Cosmere series called The Strata Wars, and Blightfall kicks off Riftwake, a YA-leaning space fantasy set in his existing Skyward universe.

Neither is required reading for the Cosmere, but both are worth knowing about if you’re trying to keep up with everything he’s releasing.

Final Words

There’s no wrong way to read Brandon Sanderson - readers have been arguing over the ideal order for years, and most of them get there in the end regardless of which path they took.

But if you want the version that front-loads the payoffs and back-loads the homework, Mistborn Era 1 into the Stormlight Archive is the one to go with.

If you want our take on which of his books are actually essential rather than just the order to read them in, our ranked guide to the best Brandon Sanderson books picks the ten that matter most.

Track your progress through the Cosmere - and find your next read - on Litloop, the free reading tracker for fiction fans.

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Ben Luxon

About the author

Ben Luxon

Ben Luxon is a sci-fi and fantasy author with two novels on the way and has had several short stories published. He initially founded Litloop as a place to talk about his favourite books and soon realised he needed a better way to track and talk about them — so he started building the app. His collection of sci-fi short stories, Sunset in the East, is available on Amazon today. He also builds Writing Desk, a native Mac app for novelists that offers AI editorial help without AI-generated prose.

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