The Cosmere Books in Order | Brandon Sanderson Reading Guide

Cosmere Universe By Brandon Sanderson

Somebody has to start. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right.

Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

• Elantris (Elantris #1) (2005) 
• The Hope of Elantris – Short story (Elantris #1.5) (2006)
•  The Emperor’s Soul – Novella. (Elantris #1.6) (2012) 
• The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) (2006) 
• The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) (2007) 
• The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) (2008)
• The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4, Wax and Wayne #1) (2011) 
• The Eleventh Metal – Short story. (Mistborn #4.5) (2012)
•  Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania – Short story. (Mistborn #4.6) (2014)
•  Shadows of Self (Mistborn #5, Wax and Wayne #2) (2015) 
• The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6, Wax and Wayne #3) (2016)
• Mistborn: Secret History – Novella. (Mistborn #6.5) (2016)
• The Lost Metal (Mistborn #7, Wax and Wayne #4) (2022)
• Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1) (2009) 
• Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell – Novella (Standalone) (2013)
•  Sixth of the Dusk – Novella (Standalone) (2014) 
• Tress of the Emerald Sea (Standalone) (2023)
• The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archives #1) (2010) 
• Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archives #2) (2014) 
• Edgedancer – Novella (The Stormlight Archives #2.5) (2016)
• Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archives #3) (2017)
• Dawnshard – Novella  (The Stormlight Archives #3.5) (2020)
• Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archives #4) (2020)
• White Sand Vol. 1 (White Sand #1) (2016)
• White Sand Vol. 2 (White Sand #2) (2018)
• White Sand Vol. 3 (White Sand #3) (2019)

What is the Cosmere Universe?

The Cosmere Universe is Brandon Sanderson’s epic collection of many of his fantasy books. All of his Cosmere books share a single creation myth. It is what gives all of them the same underlying theory of magic, for all of the connected worlds. The book series involved in the Cosmere Universe to date are; Elantris, Mistborn, Warbreaker, The Stormlight Archive, White Sand and any of the short stories included in Arcanum Unbounded.

If you have already read some of Brandon Sanderson’s work, or even heard of some, you may be surprised to possibly not find them below. There is a very simple reason for this, which Brandon Sanderson very helpfully tells us. If any of his books contain Earth in any shape or form, then it is not part of the Cosmere Universe. So you can read these books whenever you feel like! And don’t be skipping out on any of his work because they are all amazing and worth a read or three!

Who is Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is an American author of SciFi and High Fantasy. He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on 19th December 1975. He enjoyed reading High Fantasy through junior high and high school, finding authors such as Robert Jordan and Anne McCaffrey. He enjoyed reading the genre so much that he gave writing a go himself. His first attempts, as he puts it, were dreadful.

He enrolled at Brigham Young University in 1994 as a biochemistry major. He took time away from University from 1995-1997, to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Seoul, Korea. When he returned to BYU, he switched to an English Major. He began working nights as a desk clerk at a hotel as they allowed him to write while at work. And by 2003 he had written twelve novels, with none of them as of yet published. But by 2005, Elantris, was picked up by Tor Books to some positive reviews. A year later, in 2006, Mistborn: The Final Empire was published.

Sanderson had started to make a name for himself in the genre, and in 2007, only two years after his first book was published, he was chosen to complete the final books in Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time after Jordan’s untimely death. He was asked by Harriet McDougal, who was the wife and editor of Jordan. Sanderson turned what was meant to be one book into three.

Since then Brandon Sanderson has published over 70 books that are involved in 8 different series. From Novels to Novellas, standalones to a part of a larger series of books. And they are all to high praise, if his average Goodreads score is anything to go by (4.41 out of 5).

In March 2021, Brandon Sanderson began his “Weekly Update” on his YouTube channel. It was here that he revealed the title and cover for Cytonic (2021), the third book in his Skyward series (not in the Cosmere Universe).

And in March 2022 Sanderson broke the record on Kickstarter, becoming the all-time most successful campaign. He announced that over the previous two years he had secretly written five otherwise-unannounced books, with three a part of the Cosmere Universe . He told the world that these will be available through a Kickstarter subscription, released quarterly throughout 2023. He raised $15 million in the first 24 hours, and $20 million within three days! It ended with a total of 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153!

Remember, the past need not become our future as well.

Brandon Sanderson, Elantris

Where to begin? The debate

Where do I start with the Cosmere Universe? The Reading Order by Series

As Brandon Sanderson continues to publish books in the Cosmere universe, there’s no specific reading order to follow. So, we are offering different book orders, and we begin with Sanderson’s advice to read the books in sequential order, and he adds it doesn’t matter which Cosmere series you start with. Meaning that each one of the following books is a possible entry point in the series.

Now according to the man himself on his website, it does not matter too much. His only advice is, is to read the books in sequential order and he specifies not to begin with Alloy of Law, as this is a sequel series to the Mistborn series and so a lot will be missed and even misunderstood if you skip straight on to this. Below you can see the four different series of books as a possible entry point into the Cosmere Universe.

• Mistborn: The Final Empire
• The Way of Kings
• Elantris
• Warbreaker

With a bit of research online you find out that there are multiple different ways in which readers love to dive into the books. And as the series is ever evolving with more books being published by Brandon Sanderson (and I mean ALWAYS! The man is a machine! (by the time you have finished reading this post another book will most likely be hitting the bookshelves!)), it is hard to know where to begin. Other ways in which readers love to read the series is as follows:

• Publication Order
• Chronological Order
• Cosmere Universe Reading Order by Series (Chronological or Publication)
• Brandon Sanderson’s Recommendation (in which he lists multiple different starting points depending on your taste)

Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.

Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: The Final Empire

The Order

Now we here at BridgingsBooks recommend, especially as a first time reader, in following the Cosmere Universe Reading Order by Series in the Publication order. It will be how you find the books listed below. Each book we will go into more detail, a brief synopsis to get an idea of what the books are about. And right at the end you will find all the books listed in a few other ways, in case you fancy following your own reading order. We just feel that this is the best way to see the Universe develop as it grows in Brandon’s mind, and because there are quite a few different series of books adding to the overall Universe, it is probably easier to follow one storyline before you move onto the next. Helps keeping all the characters and plot points in order in your head (we all can’t be on Brandon’s level…)

And so, without further ado, here are the books in the order that, as a first time reader, you should (but absolutely don’t have to) read them in. First list is showing you the different series that make up the Cosmere Universe, and they are as follows:

• Elantris

• Mistborn

• Standalones (for now)

• The Stormlight Archives

• Taldain – Graphic Novels

I add (for now), because it is what Sanderson says about some of his books, i.e. Elantris and Warbreaker. They are a great self-contained story, until he has time to dive right back into the series and add even more to it.

A lot of his short stories are included in his collection Arcanum Unbounded (2016), which will go into more at the end. 

WARNING: There will be spoilers for some of the books mentioned. These are taken from the official descriptions but can sometimes spoil huge parts of previous books. So please be careful!

And now, let us break down each of these sections into their individual books. And they are as follows:

Elantris

Elantris (2005)

Elantris Book #1
205,465 words, 66 chapters, 638 pages, 13hrs 45mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.19 out of 5 on Goodreads

Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, 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 of Teod 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.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.

The Hope of Elantris (Short Story) (2006)

Elantris Book #1.5
14,100 words, 25 pages, 1hr to read.
3.68 out of 5 on Goodreads

It’s difficult to give a concise summary of The Hope of Elantris without getting into serious spoilers for Elantris itself. For that reason, we’ll just tell you that it takes place during the finale of Elantris and we highly recommend reading that first. You have been warned.

The Emperor’s Soul (Novella) (2012)

Elantris Book #1.6
37,680 words, 16 chapters, 175 pages, 2hrs 35mins to read.
Published by Tachyon Publications
4.37 out of 5 on Goodreads

A heretic thief is the empire’s only hope in this fascinating tale that inhabits the same world as the popular novel, Elantris.

Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor’s scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Though her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead.

Probing deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan’s truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that Shai’s forgery is as much artistry as it is deception.

Mistborn

The Final Empire (2006)

Mistborn #1
214,755 words, 40 chapters, 544 pages, 14hrs 20mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.47 out of 5 on Goodreads

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, the “Sliver of Infinity,” 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.

Kelsier recruited the underworld’s elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

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.

The Well of Ascension (2007)

Mistborn #2
252,730 words, 60 chapters, 592 pages, 16hrs 50mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.38 out of 5 on Goodreads

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler — the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years — has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier’s protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies – one of them composed of ferocious giants – now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

Hero of Ages (2008)

Mistborn #3
244,200 words, 84 chapters, 572 pages, 16hrs 20mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.52 out of 5 on Goodreads

Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness–the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists–is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can’t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

The Alloy of Law (2011)

Mistborn #4, Wax and Wayne Series #1
96,645 words, 22 chapters, 332 pages, 6hrs 30mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.21 out of 5 on Goodreads

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history―or religion. Yet even 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.

The Eleventh Metal (2011) (Short Story)

Mistborn Prequel
6,715 words, 21 pages, 30mins to read.
Published by Crafty Games
3.81 out of 5 on Goodreads

It tells the story of how Gemmel taught Kelsier the art of Allomancy. They travel to Mantiz and attack Keep Shezler. There, Kelsier learns that Antillius Shezler had been searching for half-breed skaa for him to torture, hopefully snap, and then test new metals on in a search for the eleventh metal.

Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (2014) (Short Story)

Mistborn #4.5, Wax and Wayne Series #1.5
7,050 words, 40 pages, 30mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
3.50 out of 5 on Goodreads

Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania is a short story about an adventuring Allomancer named Jak, as told by him and edited by his Terrisman steward, Handerwym.

Shadows of Self (2015)

Mistborn #5, Wax and Wayne Series #2
115,775 words, 28 chapters, 383 pages, 7hrs 45mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.29 out of 5 on Goodreads

When family obligations forced Waxillium Ladrian to forsake the frontier lands and return to the metropolis of his birth to take his place as head of a noble House, he little imagined that the crime-fighting skills acquired during twenty years in the dusty plains would be just as applicable in the big city. He soon learned that there too, just being a talented Twinborn ― one who can use both Allomancy and Feruchemy, the dominant magical modes on Scadrial ― would not suffice.

This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society will now face its first test by terrorism and assassination, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax, his eccentric sidekick Wayne, and brilliant, beautiful young Marasi, now officially part of the constabulary, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife can stop Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.

The Bands of Mourning (2016)

Mistborn #6, Wax and Wayne Series #3
130,295 words, 33 chapters, 448 pages, 8hrs 45mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.43 out of 5 on Goodreads

The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metal minds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.

Mistborn: Secret History (2016) (Novella)

44,980 words, 26 chapters, 160 pages, 3hrs to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.37 out of 5 on Goodreads

Kelsier, sentenced to die mining the Pits of Hathsin after attempting to rob the Lord Ruler’s palace, arose as a powerful Mistborn and inspired the revolution that shook the foundations of the Final Empire. His name and deeds passed into legend.

But was that truly the end of his tale? Whispered hints to those he called friends suggested there was a lot more going on. If you think you know the story of the Mistborn trilogy, think again―but to say anything more here risks revealing too much. Even knowing of this tale’s existence could be heresy.

There’s always another secret.

The Lost Metal (2022)

Mistborn #7, Wax and Wayne Series #4
156,380 words, 82 chapters, 507 pages, 10hrs 30mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.49 out of 5 on Goodreads

For years, frontier lawman turned big-city senator Waxillium Ladrian has hunted the shadowy organization the Set―with his late uncle and his sister among their leaders―since they started kidnapping people with the power of Allomancy in their bloodlines. When Detective Marasi Colms and her partner Wayne find stockpiled weapons bound for the Outer City of Bilming, this opens a new lead. Conflict between Elendel and the Outer Cities only favors the Set, and their tendrils now reach to the Elendel Senate―whose corruption Wax and Steris have sought to expose―and Bilming is even more entangled.

After Wax discovers a new type of explosive that can unleash unprecedented destruction and realizes that the Set must already have it, an immortal kandra serving Scadrial’s god, Harmony, reveals that Bilming has fallen under the influence of another god: Trell, worshipped by the Set. And Trell isn’t the only factor at play from the larger Cosmere―Marasi is recruited by offworlders with strange abilities who claim their goal is to protect Scadrial…at any cost.

Wax must choose whether to set aside his rocky relationship with God and once again become the Sword that Harmony has groomed him to be. If no one steps forward to be the hero Scadrial needs, the planet and its millions of people will come to a sudden and calamitous ruin.

Standalones (at the moment)

Warbreaker (2009)

Warbreaker #1 (a sequel is planned)
243,850 words, 82 chapters, 507 pages, 16hrs 20mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.30 out of 5 on Goodreads

Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

Sixth of the Dusk (2014) (Novella)

20,740 words, 59 pages, 1hr 25mins to read.
Published by Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC
4.24 out of 5 on Goodreads

Sixth of the Dusk, set in a never-before-seen world, showcases a society on the brink of technological change. On the deadly island of Patji, where birds grant people magical talents and predators can sense the thoughts of their prey, a solitary trapper discovers that the island is not the only thing out to kill him. When he begins to see his own corpse at every turn, does this spell danger for his entire culture?

Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell (2015) (Novella)

17,650 words, 50 pages, 1hr 15mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.19 out of 5 on Goodreads

When the familiar and seemingly safe turns lethal, therein danger lies. Amid a forest where the shades of the dead linger all around, every homesteader knows to follow the Simple Rules: “Don’t kindle flame, don’t shed the blood of another, don’t run at night. These things draw shades.”

Silence Montane has broken all three rules on more than one occasion. And to protect her family from a murderous gang with high bounties on their heads, Silence will break every rule again, at the risk of becoming a shade herself.

Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023)

Secret Project #1 
107,230 words, 65 chapters, 483 pages, 7hr 10mins to read.
Published by Dragonsteel Entertainment
4.59 out of 5 on Goodreads

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?

The Stormlight Archives

This is Brandon Sanderson’s BIG epic. A planned 10 book series and as of writing this post four are currently out with a fifth expected in the autumn of 2024.

The Way of Kings (2010)

The Stormlight Archives #1
383,180 words, 87 chapters, 1,008 pages, 25hrs 35mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.65 out of 5 on Goodreads

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.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar’s niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan’s motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

Words of Radiance (2014)

The Stormlight Archives #2
403,735 words, 105 chapters, 1,087 pages, 26hrs 55mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.76 out of 5 on Goodreads (Words of Radiance is currently the highest rated book on Goodreads)

Expected by his enemies to die the miserable death of a military slave, Kaladin survived to be given command of the royal bodyguards, a controversial first for a low-status “darkeyes.” Now he must protect the king and Dalinar from every common peril as well as the distinctly uncommon threat of the Assassin, all while secretly struggling to master remarkable new powers that are somehow linked to his honorspren, Syl.

The Assassin, Szeth, is active again, murdering rulers all over the world of Roshar, using his baffling powers to thwart every bodyguard and elude all pursuers. Among his prime targets is Highprince Dalinar, widely considered the power behind the Alethi throne. His leading role in the war would seem reason enough, but the Assassin’s master has much deeper motives.

Brilliant but troubled Shallan strives along a parallel path. Despite being broken in ways she refuses to acknowledge, she bears a terrible burden: to somehow prevent the return of the legendary Voidbringers and the civilization-ending Desolation that will follow. The secrets she needs can be found at the Shattered Plains, but just arriving there proves more difficult than she could have imagined.

Meanwhile, at the heart of the Shattered Plains, the Parshendi are making an epochal decision. Hard pressed by years of Alethi attacks, their numbers ever shrinking, they are convinced by their war leader, Eshonai, to risk everything on a desperate gamble with the very supernatural forces they once fled. The possible consequences for Parshendi and humans alike, indeed, for Roshar itself, are as dangerous as they are incalculable.

Edgedancer (2016) (Novella)

The Stormlight Archives #2.5
40,660 words, 20 chapters, 272 pages, 2hrs 45mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.25 out of 5 on Goodreads

Three years ago, Lift asked a goddess to stop her from growing older–a wish she believed was granted. Now, in Edgedancer, the barely teenage nascent Knight Radiant finds that time stands still for no one. Although the young Azish emperor granted her safe haven from an executioner she knows only as Darkness, court life is suffocating the free-spirited Lift, who can’t help heading to Yeddaw when she hears the relentless Darkness is there hunting people like her with budding powers. The downtrodden in Yeddaw have no champion, and Lift knows she must seize this awesome responsibility.

Oathbringer (2017)

The Stormlight Archives #3
454,770 words, 138 chapters, 1,220 pages, 30hrs 20mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.62 out of 5 on Goodreads

Dalinar Kholin’s Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.

Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar’s blood-soaked past and stand together–and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past–even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.

Dawnshard (2020) (Novella)

The Stormlight Archives #3.5
55,095 words, 21 chapters, 277 pages, 3hrs 40mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.49 out of 5 on Goodreads

When a ghost ship is discovered, its crew presumed dead after trying to reach the storm-shrouded island Akinah, Navani Kholin must send an expedition to make sure the island hasn’t fallen into enemy hands. Knights Radiant who fly too near find their Stormlight suddenly drained, so the voyage must be by sea.

Shipowner Rysn Ftori lost the use of her legs but gained the companionship of Chiri-Chiri, a Stormlight-ingesting winged larkin, a species once thought extinct. Now Rysn’s pet is ill, and any hope for Chiri-Chiri’s recovery can be found only at the ancestral home of the larkin: Akinah. With the help of Lopen, the formerly one-armed Windrunner, Rysn must accept Navani’s quest and sail into the perilous storm from which no one has returned alive. If the crew cannot uncover the secrets of the hidden island city before the wrath of its ancient guardians falls upon them, the fate of Roshar and the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.

Rhythm of War (2020)

The Stormlight Archives #4
455,890 words, 117 chapters, 1,232 pages, 30hrs 25mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.62 out of 5 on Goodreads

After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move.

Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.

At the same time that Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with his changing role within the Knights Radiant, his Windrunners face their own problem: As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants. Adolin and Shallan must lead the coalition’s envoy to the honorspren stronghold of Lasting Integrity and either convince the spren to join the cause against the evil god Odium, or personally face the storm of failure.

Taldain – Graphic Novels

White Sand, Vol. 1 (2017)

30,000 words, 160 pages, 2hrs to read
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
3.62 out of 5 on Goodreads

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.

White Sand, Vol. 2 (2019)

30,000 words, 160 pages, 2hrs to read
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
3.55 out of 5 on Goodreads

Following the loss of most of his colleagues in a violent ambush, Kenton has become Lord Mastrell of the few remaining Sand Masters, magicians who can manipulate sand to do their bidding. With the ruling council poised against him, the hot-headed Kenton must become a diplomat to have any hope of preventing the eradication of his people forever. However, there’s another complication: assassins are coming for him 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.

White Sand, Vol. 3 (2019)

30,000 words, 160 pages, 2hrs to read
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
3.67 out of 5 on Goodreads

Underpowered and overwhelmed, Kenton tries to hold the Sand Masters together as forces political and personal conspire against them. Now, in one final push, Kenton must tap the most dangerous depths of his own abilities to combat the enemies within his own guild, and discover the truth behind the ambush that killed his father and almost destroyed the Sand Masters for good.

Collection of Short Stories

Arcanum Unbounded 

187,925 words, 672 pages, 12hrs 35mins to read.
Published by Tor Books
4.49 out of 5 on Goodreads

These wonderful works, originally published individually, have been collected for the first time and convey the true expanse of the Cosmere. Telling the exciting tales of adventure Sanderson fans have come to expect, Arcanum Unbounded include the Hugo Award-winning novella ‘The Emperor’s Soul’, an excerpt from the graphic novel ‘White Sand’, and the never-before-published Stormlight Archive novella ‘Edgedancer’.

The collection will include nine works in all:

‘Edgedancer’ (Stormlight Archive)

The Hope of Elantris’ (Elantris)

‘The Eleventh Metal’ (Mistborn)

‘The Emperor’s Soul’ (Elantris)

‘Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania’ (excerpt; Mistborn)

‘White Sand’ (excerpt; Taldain)

‘Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell’ (Threnody)

‘Sixth of Dusk’ (First of the Sun)

Mistborn: Secret History’ (Mistborn)

Returning readers

And now, as I said before, below you will see a few different ways for you to dive into the (what is undeniably an amazing and well thought out collection of books) Cosmere Universe.

The Chronological Cosmere Reading Order

The list you read below is correct as of writing, as Sanderson has a lot more projects on the horizon and thus this order will be ever changing. But for those readers looking to dive right back into the Universe and interested in a different order, then this is definitely a fun one. And the order is as follows:-

• White Sand Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel) (2016)
• White Sand Vol. 2 (Graphic Novel) (2018)
• White Sand Vol. 3 (Graphic Novel) (2019)
• Elantris (Elantris #1) (2005)
• The Hope of Elantris (Elantris #1.5) – Short story. (2006)
• The Emperor’s Soul (Elantris #1.6) – Novella. (2012)
• The Eleventh Metal (Mistborn #0.5) – Short story. (2012)
• The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) (2006)
• The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) (2007)
• The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) (2008)
• Warbreaker (Standalone) (2009) 
• Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell – Novella. (Standalone)
• The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archives #1) (2010)
• Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archives #2) (2014)
• Edgedancer – Novella. (The Stormlight Archives #2.5) (2016)
• Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archives #3) (2017)
• Dawnshard – Novella (The Stormlight Archives #3.5) (2020)
• Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archives #4) (2020)
• Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania – Short story. (Mistborn #3.5) (2014)
• The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4, Wax and Wayne #1) (2011)
• Shadows of Self (Mistborn #5, Wax and Wayne #2) (2015)
• The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6, Wax and Wayne #3) (2016)
• Mistborn: Secret History – Novella. (Mistborn #6.5, Wax and Wayne #3.5) (2016)
• Tress of the Emerald Sea (Standalone) (2023)
• The Lost Metal (Mistborn #7, Wax and Wayne #4) (2022)
• Sixth of the Dusk – Novella (Standalone) (2014)

The Cosmere Universe Publication Order

Now this list is definitely not for the faint hearted. I say this lightly and my reason for that is it may be hard to follow the flow of each individual series. There is not much overlap (if any) between the books, and so flipping between the different series may add to some confusion. I include this because maybe you are interested in seeing the order in which they came out and see how they all developed as he published them. And the order is as follows:-

• Elantris (Elantris #1) (2005) 
• The Hope of Elantris – Short story (Elantris #1.5) (2006) 
• The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) (2006) 
• The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) (2007) 
• The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) (2008) 
• Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1) (2009) 
• The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archives #1) (2010) 
• The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4, Wax and Wayne #1) (2011) 
• The Eleventh Metal – Short story. (Mistborn #4.5) (2012) 
• The Emperor’s Soul – Novella. (Elantris #1.6) (2012) 
• Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell – Novella (Standalone) (2013) 
• Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archives #2) (2014) 
• Sixth of the Dusk – Novella (Standalone) (2014) 
• Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania – Short story. (Mistbron #4.6) (2014) 
• Shadows of Self (Mistborn #5, Wax and Wayne #2) (2015) 
• The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6, Wax and Wayne #3) (2016)
• Mistborn: Secret History – Novella. (Mistborn #6.5) (2016)
• White Sand Vol. 1 (White Sand #1) (2016)
• Edgedancer – Novella (The Stormlight Archives #2.5) (2016)
• Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archives #3) (2017)
• White Sand Vol. 2 (White Sand #2) (2018)
• White Sand Vol. 3 (White Sand #3) (2019)
• Dawnshard – Novella  (The Stormlight Archives #3.5) (2020)
• Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archives #4) (2020)
• The Lost Metal (Mistborn #7, Wax and Wayne #4) (2022)
• Tress of the Emerald Sea (Standalone) (2023) 

Brandon Sanderson’s Recommendation

And lastly, the last order in which we are going to show you is the order by the man himself. As we said above, he does not force a specific way to read the books (only to not start with Alloy of Law). He states that they are all self-contained stories, no overlapping at all. But he does have a list, which you will see below, the order in which he has his books on his website. As a heads up, he does not include any standalone novellas or graphic novels, apart from The Empourer’s Soul. And without any further ado, the order is as follows:

Mistborn

1. The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) (2006)
2. The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) (2007)
3. Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) (2008)
4. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4) (2011)
5. The Eleventh Metal (Short Story) (Mistborn #4.5) (2012)
6. Shadows of Self (Mistborn #5) (2015)
7. The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6) (2016)
8. Mistborn: Secret History (Novella) (Mistborn #6.5) (2016)
9. The Lost Metal  (Mistborn #7) (2022)

Elantris 

1. Elantris (Elantris #1) (2005)
2. The Hope of Elantris (Short Story) (Elantris #1.5) (2006)
3. The Emporer’s Soul (Novella) (Elantris #1.6) (2012)

Warbreaker

1. Warbreaker (2009)

The Stormlight Archive

1. The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1) (2010)
2. Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2) (2014)
3. Edgedancer (Novella) (The Stormlight Archive #2.5) (2016)
4. Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3) (2017)
5. Dawnshard (Novella) (The Stormlight Archive #3.5) (2010)
6. Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive #4) (2020)
7. Knights of Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive #5) (Expected: Autumn 2024) 

Cosmere Universe Reading Order by Series in Chronological Order

• White Sand Vol. 1 (White Sand #1 – Graphic Novels) (2016)
• White Sand Vol. 2 (White Sand #2 – Graphic Novels) (2018)
• White Sand Vol. 3 (White Sand #3 – Graphic Novels) (2019)
• Elantris (Elantris #1) (2005)
• The Hope of Elantris (Elantris #1.5) – Short story. (2006)
• The Emperor’s Soul (Elantris #1.6) – Novella. (2012)
• The Eleventh Metal (Mistborn #0.5) – Short story. (2012)
• The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) (2006)
• The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) (2007)
• The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) (2008)
• Mistborn: Secret History (Mistborn #3.5) – Novella. (2016)
• The Alloy of Law (2011) (Mistborn #4, Wax and Wayne #1)
• Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (Mistborn #4.5) – Short story. (2014)
• Shadows of Self  (Mistborn #5, Wax and Wayne #2)) (2015)
• The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6, Wax and Wayne #3) (2016)
• The Lost Metal (Mistborn #7, Wax and Wayne #4) (2022)
• Warbreaker (Standalone) (2009)
• Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell (Standalone) – Novella. (2013)
• The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archives #1) (2010)
• Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archives #2) (2014)
• Edgedancer – Novella. (The Stormlight Archives #2.5) (2016)
• Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archives #3) (2017)
• Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archives #3.5) – Novella  (2020)
• Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archives #4) (2020)
• Tress of the Emerald Sea (Standalone) (2023)
• Sixth of the Dusk (Standalone) – Novella (2014)

Overall

The Cosmere Universe is no small undertaking, and yet so very worthwhile. The level of world building that Brandon Sanderson goes to, the depth at which everything is thought out is just insane. And frankly, if you enjoy High Fantasy/SciFi then you would be insane to miss out on this series. There are a lot of books under different series so it is quite a minefield to work your way through and know where to begin. But hopefully we have helped answer some of your queries and shown you the way.

If you have already begun the books or looking at giving them a reread? Hopefully we have given you an insight into the best reading order for the Cosmere Universe for what you are wanting. Be it in chronological or publication order, the order of the series or even flicking between them all. Either way we hope you will enjoy your read through, and know where you go next!

If you have enjoyed any of Brandon Sanderson’s work and want to learn more about him or any other of his work, then feel free to check out his website.

Which one is your favourite or most looking forward to picking up next? 

Let us know!

Happy reading!

Tally Count

Elantris

• Total words: 257,245 words
• Total pages: 838 pages
• Total reading time: 17hrs 10mins

Mistborn

• Total words: 1,269,525 words
• Total pages: 3,599 pages
• Total reading time: 84hrs 40mins

Standalones

• Total words: 389,470 words
• Total pages: 1,099 pages
• Total reading time: 26hrs

The Stormlight Archive

• Total words: 1,793,330 words
• Total pages: 5,046 pages
• Total reading time: 119hrs 35mins

White Sands

• Total words:  90,000 words
• Total pages: 480 pages
• Total reading times: 6hrs

Altogether

• Total words: 3,799,570 words
• Total pages: 11,062 pages
• Total reading time: 253hrs 20mins

More of the same, but different:

• Chronicles of Narnia Books in Order
• Harry Potter Books in Order
• The First Law Series by Joe Abercrombie Books in Order

Things to Note

1. Word count is an approximation.
2. Amount of pages may differ due to different publications, font style and/or size etc.
3. Time spent reading is an approximation based on the word count and the average reading time. The average reader will read 250 WPM (Words Per Minute).
4. This is the original publishers of the books.
5. The Current GoodReads score at time of writing.