Table of Contents
I am a huge Sanderson fan. Strangely, though, I haven’t managed to finish all of the Cosmere books that are out. I’ve put a good dent in the list, for sure, but not all of them. I’m starting to run into a problem, though: the books that are coming out now assume you’ve read all or many of the books that have come before.
Take The Sunlit Man, for example: I absolutely loved this book, but I felt like reading Dawnshard or the Mistborn books might have oriented me in the story a little better. Likewise, I haven’t read Edgedancer, which ties into Oathbringer from the Stormlight Archive. I didn’t need to have read it, but I felt like there was a lot missing from a certain character’s story who I know was featured in Edgedancer. A comment by a character in Yumi and the Nightmare Painter makes a lot more sense if you’ve read at least one book from each of the different planets.
Now, that the Cosmere fourth Secret Novel, Isles of Emberdark, and the fifth Stormlight Archive book, Wind and Truth, are out, I figured I should probably catch up so I don’t get confused by those new books. To that end, I am posting a Cosmere reading order to help me and anyone else who’s interested in catching up.
Where to Begin Your Journey of the Cosmere?
You can really start reading at the beginning of any of these series, with Elantris, Mistborn: The Final Empire, Warbreaker, or The Way of Kings. As you move deeper into the series, though, people from one part of the Cosmere start popping up on other planets. You can think of them as Easter eggs for now, but I have a feeling that the more books Sanderson writes, the more interconnected some of these stories are going to become. It’s hard to say where exactly these Easter eggs begin, but I noticed them fairly early on in the Stormlight Archive, in Words of Radiance. The Sunlit Man is definitely tied to the Stormlight Archive and I wouldn’t recommend reading that one until you have finished Wind and Truth and Dawnshard.
My Recommended Cosmere Reading Order
This is not the order that I have read the Cosmere books in, but rather the order in which I wish I’d read the available Cosmere books.
Elantris Trilogy, Planet Sel
- Elantris
- The Hope of Elantris
- The Emperor’s Soul novella
Mistborn Era 1 : Planet Scadrial
Mistborn Era 2: Planet Scadrial
Mistborn Eras 3 & 4: Planet Scadrial
- Unreleased
Warbreaker: Planet Nalthis
The Stormlight Archive: Planet Roshar
- The Way of Kings – (The Way of Kings Book Review)
- Words of Radiance
- Edgedancer Novella
- Oathbringer
- Rhythm of War
- Wind and Truth
- Dawnshard Novella
- The Sunlit Man: Planet Canticle
- Brandon Sanderson has recommended reading this in between Rhythm of War and Wind and Truth. Having read The Sunlit Man first, then Wind and Truth, I disagree. I think the reason he says this is because of the “big reveal” of the main character of The Sunlit Man. But there are quite a few details that don’t make sense until you read the stuff that happens before. I’d read Wind and Truth first, then Dawnshard, then The Sunlit Man. You lose a bit of the mystery, but the character’s arc is put in the right order instead of jumbled up.
Tress of the Emerald Sea: Planet Lumar
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: Planet Komashi (Yumi and the Nightmare Painter Book Review)
Planet Threnody:
Isles of Emberdark
Isles of Emberdark was written after Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell, and relies on events and elements of that short story. Instead of saying we need to read that in order to understand Emberdark, Sanderson wove the short story into Isles of Emberdark so you don’t have to read the short story anymore.
Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell short story
If you’d like the check out the video that Brandon Sanderson released on the subject, you can check it out below. I based some of my Cosmere reading order on his thoughts.
Here is a cool graphic that shows the chronological order of the Cosmere. I don’t think you need to read it in chronological order, but it is interesting to see.
Other non-Cosmere books
Brandon Sanderson has written plenty of other books that are not a part of his Cosmere.
The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England — My Book Review
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
Infinity Blade
Legion
Reckoners
Skyward
Wheel of Time
The Rithmatist
White Sand
Snapshot
The Original
Short Stories
The Most Boring Book Ever (Picture Book)
Note: If you are enjoying Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere, check out my own epic fantasy series, The Realm War Chronicles. You can read the first chapters by clicking here or get the entire book for free when you sign up for my newsletter.
The series starts with book Muspell’s Sons, which tells the tale of Cadmus Brand who lives on Muspelheim.
Cadmus Brand is a gladiator, a legend in the arena, and the last of an ancient order of sorcerers. Known as a pharmakon, he draws forbidden magic from secret alchemical elixirs he injects directly into his body. His powers could rival those of the gods themselves—if the kashmari demon lords don’t discover his secret first.
In the blood-soaked city-states of Muspelheim, where the kashmari rule with twisted blood magic and human sorcery is outlawed, Brand’s victories in the arena keep him alive—but his fame is no shield against his own hubris—or against the cunning of a kashmari lady who watches his every move.
Far across the desert, an ancient artifact resurfaces for the first time in centuries, and Brand finds himself thrust in a deadly arms race. Rebellion stirs, demons whisper in the dark, and the myths of old gods spark like embers in the ashes. Brand must choose: fight only for his own survival, or risk everything to defy the monsters who would enslave his world.
Conclusion
I hope this Cosmere reading order helps you on your journey.
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