Dragonsteel Prime

by Brandon Sanderson, Michael Kramer (Narrator), Kate Reading (Narrator)

A story that was once only accessible in the vaults of the BYU Library is lined up to join your digital Sandershelf. This novel takes place on Yolen and follows a young man named Jerick, as well as prominently featuring a fool who calls himself Topaz, who you may recognize by one of his many other names. The second half includes Brandon’s first attempt at the Bridge Four story, with characters including Rock and Gaz but a different bridgeleader in Kaladin’s role. Written immediately after Elantris in 2001, it’s a non-canon peek at what might have been, and a favorite among Brandon’s earliest readers.

Narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, the same narrators who voice many of Brandon's Cosmere stories, including those within the very popular Stormlight Archive and Mistborn Saga stories.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Collections, Adult, High Fantasy

27 pages, Audiobook

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1999 and originally Sanderson’s honors thesis during his undergraduate years, Dragonsteel Prime is a Cosmere story, which previously has only been available in the BYU library. (Some events and most of the worldbuilding he considers canon, others like the characters are non-canon.) Now it’s being released as a Sanderson “curiosity” as part of the Words of Radiance crowdfunding campaign but can also be read – and listened to (!) – for free here:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/...

Or here:

https://www.dragonsteelbooks.com/coll...

https://www.dragonsteelbooks.com/coll...

Jerick, an almost-13-year-old, is a lumberman’s son, living with his parents outside a small village, in the kingdom of Melerand – one of the countries on the continent of Yolen. Not knowing anything different, and having a deep affinity for nature, he is content with his life. The strict caste system, allegedly to have come from the Nine Lords, narrowly defines one’s lot in life, and determines if you’re a lumberman or farmer, a crafter, a soldier, a merchant, or a noble. Once born into your caste, you have virtually no chance of upward mobility – a fact that Jerick accepts unquestioningly and without resentment; it’s just the way things are.

One day, however, a more than reluctant noble arrives at his village with the task to educate the children – a novel idea, unheard of because lumbermen are supposed to be incapable of learning, thus reaffirming the caste system based on simple biological restrictions (much like the difference between skaa and noblemen is justified in Mistborn). Jerick, however, encouraged by his father, proves himself an adept learner, thus seemingly about to prove everyone wrong – only for things then taking an unexpected turn, which is where I will stop to avoid spoilers. Just know that we meet many (viewpoint) characters driving the plot along the way, one of them being the slave girl Ryalla.

It would be remiss not to tell you that there is more to the worldbuilding than geography and the caste system. Already in the prologue, we are exposed to a war that is waged between humans and the race of the Sho Del for the retrieval of the priceless eponymous metal called Dragonsteel, which surfaces in wells on the Shattered Plains. And as the title suggest, yes, there also are dragons; dragons linked to that precious metal. Or there used to be. Those times when dragons roamed have fallen into obscurity and are the stuff of legends now. The Eternal War between humans and Sho Del, however, is still going strong; the acquisition of Dragonsteel is extremely profitable after all. There is also a magic system based on Realmatic theory – the three Realms of Existence: Spiritual, Cognitive, and Physical.

If you’re familiar with Sanderson’s work, in this first real Cosmere work, you’ll note, or have already noted, some seeds for his later books – most notably the aforementioned Shattered Plains and the Three Realms as well as the prototype character of our beloved Wit, named Cephandrious or Topaz here. Much like the actual Wit, he meddles in the world’s events and is also the King’s jester, as we’ve seen in Stormlight. He is therefore allowed to insult and ridicule to his heart’s content; his often witty and humorous observations recall Wit and I was surprised to note that their quality was not inferior to the actual Wit in SA.

“I say, Your Majesty, she certainly is a respectful little girl, isn’t she? She’s still kneeling after all this time.”
The king looked over with surprise. “I suppose so. She is a good servant. Rise and come over here, child.”
“You must treat them well to inspire such loyalty,” Topaz noted.
“I strive to do so,” the king responded.
“It almost makes one want to be a slave.”

In case you were wondering, Sanderson plans to write Dragonsteel the novel after Stormlight 10 – which is sadly a ways off –, and says it will be very different as it will “focus almost entirely on Hoid and the shattering” and “will lay down the lore it has become, over the decades since.”

I believe he is right to be proud of this book, but it is more than just a “good book”; it is highly enjoyable and immersive. His concession that it is “erratic at times” and that “various parts never clicked together” seem to be rather harsh, considering when this book was written (after Elantris but still). But everyone is their own worst critic, I suppose. Since I’ve already loved Aether of Night, I was not surprised that I loved this too – apart from the ending, that is.

The ending, as it turns out, was somewhat dissatisfying to me, not giving the closure I expected. In fact, the book concludes by stating that this is the “end of Book One,” which explains the many loose ends and the cliffhanger. So as much as I enjoyed myself, I’m sad to say, the ending detracts from that.

I would still recommend this book to any Sanderson fan who has read his published Cosmere works. Many things are just so well done, especially Jerrick’s character arc; being part of his journey was both wonderful and painful. It was also rewarding to see the proto-character of what eventually became Shallan and many other elements both familiar and new. Just be aware that you’ll be left with questions unanswered so you won’t be as blindsided as I was.

It was a rare treat to finally get to read this book, which I’ve long wanted to do, and I’m looking forward to adding the physical book to my collection soon!

[Brandon King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the book in pseudo-manuscript form was distracting at first, but I quickly got over it. The book was printed single-spaced in a tiny font on a hardback book of far greater than 8.5-11'' paper, cramming a 300,000+ word book onto 200 pages. In addition, it didn't have the luxury of italics, and only the front of each page was printed.
But that's not important; what's important is the story. The best aspect of this book was the character growth; Sanderson managed to cover about ten years over the course of the novel, moving at a steady clip the entire time. As such, The protagonist Jerick goes from an aspiring lumberman to a rising student before moving to the royal palace and becoming a scholar... which he then leaves behind to become a bridgeman, a soldier, and eventually, a general. At the same time, he is developing his "mocrikenisis", which allows him to see and manipulate individual atoms.
Countering Jerick is the servant to the princess, Ryalla. Her position in the palace gives her close proximity to many influential people, yet her status never allows her to even learn to read - at least, not until the princess grows bored of learning and passes her work to her servant. It also doesn't hurt that she too has Microkenisis, allowing her to control photons of light. This grants her invisibility and astral projection, as well as an awesome DBZ-esque blast. Jerick expends great effort to break her out of her shell of shyness, eventually exposing her wonderful personality underneath. Unfortunately, when Ryalla begins to bludgeon Jerick with teenage-love signs, he makes an abrupt transition into a complete bonehead, leaving Ryalla behind without a second thought.
Other characters of note include Topaz, the travelling Jesk who has wormed his way into a dozen governments and who acts as a Microkenetic mentor to Jerick; Bat'chor, the burly merchant who travels the land in search of Dragonsteel; Martis, the twisted son of a Duke who is determined to marry the princess and become king; and countless fathers, siblings, and bland supporting characters created to make the landscape more interesting.
Part of me doesn't want to go into detail about the plot, but part of me knows that 99% of you won't have the chance to read the single copy of this book that's available, so I'll provide some details. Jerick is the son of a lumberman, like his father before him. When a scholar comes to his town to teach the local students, Jerick jumps at the opportunity to learn and attends the school every day. Eventually, the king comes to visit, but while he is there, the town is attacked by the Sho Del - a race of white-skinned demons from far off lands. The only important loss in this battle is that of Jericks Parents, but this allows the King to "adopt" jerick and take him to the palace. When Jerick arrives, he is immediately smitten by the princess and does his beat to win her - even though it's clear to the reader that Ryalla is far more important. After about 5 years of studying at the palace, the King is once again attacked by a Sho Del assassin, and Martis fights it off, winning the hand of the Princess. In a wave of angst-filled rage, Jerick storms out of the castle towards the Shattered Plains, where he hopes to win glory in the war against the Sho Del.
This is where things get confusing - anyone who has read "The Way of Kings" will recognize where the Shattered plains originated. Instead of Gemhearts, the soldiers are chasing after the Dragonsteel wells, where the incredibly valuable liquid Dragonsteel appears periodically. Instead of fighting the Parshendi warriors, they are fighting the Sho Del demons. Jerick joins Bridge Four, where he befriends Rock and makes enemies with Gaz.
This is where the book shows its weakness. The feeling of despair that bridgemen feel is significantly downplayed, and the danger level is about 1/10 of the bridge 4 that Kaladin claimed. The plot moves somewhat awkwardly, and events seem a bit fragmented. However, it's interesting to see how much sanderson has developed as an author in the last 10 years, and the parts of the novel that weren't heavily rewritten were genuinely high-quality.
The last point to cover is the Avalanche, the last 10% of each Sanderson novel that merits a single, focused, 2-hour readthrough, even if it keeps you up until 3 AM. Thankfully, this book doesn't disappoint; a massive war breaks out in a dozen cities, a hundred important characters are killed off, and the magic system is drastically expanded. Topaz, the mysterious Jest, is dramatically beheaded and tossed off the edge of a cliff. The last paragraph, however, describes an unnamed man, sitting at the bottom of a cliff, when a head washes onto the beach. He muses to himself, "I always thought it would be my head that grew a new body."
The story is left very open-ended, a letdown for people like me who need to wait years before they can read the next installment, but rest assured: When Dragonsteel eventually becomes properly published, it will be well worth your time to read.
What I don't know is how on earth he's going to remove the entire aspect of the Shattered Plains from the novel, now that he moved that concept to another series...

[EveStar91 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excited to have finally read this, even though it is a non- canon Cosmere novel. We get to see a lot of concepts here that Sanderson used as seeds for other Canon Cosmere novels, some of my personal favorites are the Topaz chapters (who evolved to be Hoid) and the Eternal War efforts (on the Shattered Plains).

🌟🌟🌟🌟

[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the world-building!; One star for the characters; Half a star for the story; Half a star for the writing - Four stars in total.]

[Manveer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this quite a lot! Nice to finally get a glimpse into Yolen, if only a non-canon version, make acquaintance of Frost, and an early version of our friend Hoid. The first two parts are like really good, gets a bit boring in the third, but I think that's mainly just because of the whole Shattered Plains arc, a much much (like a thousand times) better version of which eventually made its way into Stormlight Archive. Jerrick is definitely an interesting character, some of whom eventually got made into Kal, and some into Shallan - and you can see shells of many other characters too, characters we've all come to love and admire. It's always just so fascinating to read early works/drafts like these which eventually evolve into much grander works. I'm just glad that most of the worldbuilding and lore is still going to be canon, and some characters too (Hey Bat'Chor!), when Dragonsteel does come out eventually, maybe two decades down the line. Wasn't really planning on reading this initially, but like, just gotta fill that Cosmere void somehow as I wait painfully for Wind and Truth to come out. And Adonalsium bless Brandon for always dropping these surprise works, catering to this addiction.

[Nutsa Khamkhadze]

I'm not gonna give this book any star rating.

Dragonsteel Prime just slapped me in the face and told me not to give up on my writing. Cause if Sanderson could go from writing this to creating the amazing world of Cosmere and birthing Words Of Radiance into existence, why can’t anyone?

Dragonsteel Prime is filled with so many clichés and clanky dialogues and one-dimensional characters, it’s almost painful to read. Our main protagonist, Jerick is a severe case of a Mary Sue. He has natural talent to things and learns everything weirdly quickly. He’s not like other guys, cause he likes to be in nature and look at things and ponder.

Sounds bad, doesn’t it? Then wait till you hear what the actual plot is about – learning.
Yep. There’s a bet between the king and some nobleman. The king wants to prove that peasants can be good learners as well. So Jerick gets taken to the palace and there’s a huge chunk of the story revolving around the boy just … learning. Studying hard. Pulling all-nighters – all that jazz. Honestly that whole plot-line read like some teachers’ pet’s fantasy. It was boring and full of info-dumps.
(A Sanderson book where I complain about info-dumps. Imagine that.)

There’s also the concept of Shattered plains and Bridge Four, only Bridge Four is called Fourth Bridge here. So, you already know it’s a cursed book.

And yet, I’m not mad that I read it. It was good for what it was – a primal concept for all the greatness to come in Sanderson’s writing in the form of Cosmere. It was interesting to see how it all started. Sanderson wrote this book in college so you can’t really be angry with how bad this is.
On the contrary. I’m glad to see how Sanderson has evolved over the years. And I’m thankful that he shared this book with us. It is a great example for what hard work and consistency can help a person achieve.

If you’re looking for a good read, this book probably isn’t for you. But if you’re a Cosmere junkie like I am and want to know more about the workings of Sanderson’s mind, then be my guest. Read it and let’s rant about it together. :*

[Jos]

Finalmente Brandon hizo público el ebook de su tesis!! Espero con ansias la publicación oficial del libro ya actualizada, pero me moría de ganas de saber qué onda con Yolen y el origen del Cosmere

Probablemente lo lea a ratos o cuando termine las Novelas Secretas, who knows

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get my hands on the one copy, available in the BYU library. While I leaned towards giving this book a four, the circumstances surrounding this book make me rate the book higher. The book is more of a manuscript, with many errors, so stands in need of a good edit. It obviously isn't intended to be read by a wide audience, since Brandon has yet to publish it. It feels like a rough draft and major changes will have to take place, namely the Shattered Plains will have to be removed since he used the idea for the Way of Kings. I asked Brandon about this book and he said that he intends to rewrite and publish it, though not for several years, and many key elements will have to be changed. That being said, I really loved this book.
The characterization was the main element that I loved. The protagonist, Jerick, is fantastically written. Being able to experience the excellent world-building through his eyes is also brilliant. The story is riveting and I found myself staying up late to finish chapters or storylines. I was a bit confused at the ending, but after rereading some sections and thinking about it for a while, it became a lot clearer. The ending is true to Brandon's style, both satisfying and very unsatisfying, making me want more. This book is written as the first in a series. Who knows how long it will take for him to get around to making this book, and potential subsequent books, happen. Whenever it does happen, I will definitely be buying a copy.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a stretch at 4 stars so maybe 3.5 but it contains a lot of good nuggets. Most of those nuggets are used elsewhere in the cosmere so I guess it might seem a little redundant when this is indeed the origin of those ideas. Character development feels very unearned in a lot of cases in this book. Either way exciting early work from this author can't wait to see what he does next

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragonsteel Prime was an absolute pleasure to read as a Sanderson fan. These Sanderson curiosities are windows into his past that foster an appreciation for not only how his writing craft has developed, but also for the choices he made with the published versions.

I certainly appreciate The Way of Kings even more after reading both Dragonsteel Prime and The Way of Kings Prime. I cannot wait to start my reread of The Stormlight Archive in preparation for Wind and Truth.

Sanderson in 2001 is still better than a lot of fantasy writers in 2024. There I said it. Though, that isn’t to say that Dragonsteel Prime doesn’t have its faults. There’s a lot going on in the novel so some aspects aren’t as fleshed out as others.

Honestly, Jerick’s development just didn’t work for me. I definitely liked him more in the back half of the novel. His development there flowed much better. Jerick became more of a person rather than a typical fantasy protagonist.

Dragonsteel Prime is much darker than I was expecting. I know that Sanderson was told repeatedly by the industry that grim dark was the way to go, but I’m happy that Sanderson removed these elements.
I was excited to see Yolen, even if it's a non-canon version.

Overall, Dragonsteel Prime is a fascinating look at key elements of The Way of Kings before it was even The Way of Kings Prime. Dragonsteel Prime is not for the casual Sanderson reader.

[Yvonne Reynders · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so neat to get a glimpse of Sanderson's great ideas in their infancy. I think that this story is compelling in it's own right. I loved getting to meet Jerick and Ryalla. Topaz (Hoid) was exceptionally fun to see in this book. We got to experience some great Sanderson, character development, and world building here. I recommend a read, just be aware that most of this is not considered cannon for the Cosmere.

[Marina Vidal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho ver el germen de ciertas ideas, que maduradas, se han convertido en tramas y personajes en otros libros mucho más interesantes y redondos que en su primera versión. No es el prime que más me ha gustado y esperaba otra cosa, pero ha sido divertido de leer.

[Tyler Mauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a chance that I like bad endings.
3 stars assuming you go into this book knowing it wasn't published for a reason. I was surprised how much of this ended up in Way of Kings.

[Tamirez]

Achei muito divertido ter um vislumbre de onde certas ideias sairam e como esses plots se desenvolveram em Stormlight Archive, mas em outros livros também. Agora curiosa pra quando a versão oficial de Dragonsteel finalmente sair.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Brandon Sanderson's since before he was even officially published -- and it started with this book. "Dragonsteel" is still my favorite Sanderson book and I keep anxiously awaiting its public release.

[Meghan Brubaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A three really may be a generous rating but I'm giving it because I feel it's only fair to keep in context what this book actually is: a college project that never got picked up by a publisher (and there are reasons it didn't). As a writer, I found this to be an incredibly fascinating look at what a young Sanderson created. It's encouraging that someone can start here and end up where he is today. I also enjoyed seeing the seeds of what later became the Cosmere. It was fun to see the imaginative beginnings of a Shallan character and a prototype of Bridge Four. And of course, loving the character of Wit as I do, I definitely didn't mind him/a version of him being a major character in the book.
But then I read the last seventy pages or so and oh my goodness, what, exactly did you think you were doing, sir? Even if there would have been later books (which he clearly planned that there would be) there is no reason to end a story like that.
All in all, if you want to read Sanderson, I'd recommend you spend your time on literally anything but this one.

[Alejandro Montero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this through the campaing for the Words of Radiance book, and it was indeed a very curious book just as the cover promises. Reading the book Sanderson wrote in college, that he never published, was fascinating.
This book is more of a 3.5, It is quite interesting to see that even though he was as skillful as he would become, you can still see some of the trademarks of the author.
It was also pretty fun to read an early version of Hoid, know here as Topaz, although he is way more active in this book, than all those we have read in the Cosmere. There are still many characteristics that he later has as Hoid.
Shattered Plains, Bridgemen, Fourth Bridge (still not Bridge Four), an early versions of Kaladin and Shallan. It's just fun to read them and compare to how the characters would later develop. Especially Jerick, an early version of Kaladin, who while fun, is way too much of a genius and good at everything he does in the book.
Also, we get our first look at Yolen and Frost. Frost we know little of in the Cosmere, and Yolen when it will appear, will be very much changed, but still quite interesting.

Fun!

[Vidumavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it controversial to say I'm really happy this didn't get published?

I love me some Sanderson, and Stormlight is my absolute favorite. This shows a lot of the building blocks of Stormlight, and it has a lot of potential, but it's still very juvenile.

Also, the beginning is really, really slow, and it only starts picking up when Jerick has already been at the Shattered Plains for a year. And contrary to all his other books, the Sanderlanche wasn't quite the avalanche I've come to expect.

Also, all proto characters are better in Stormlight, except Ryalla. I found Ryalla to be a much better written, much more likeable character than Shallan. Topaz and Hoid very much have the same vibes, as do Kaladin and Jerick. But, since Stormlight has much more words they are obviously better developed.

Fun read, not worth a reread.

[Taylor]

Not sure if it makes sense to rate this one, as it was a thesis. If it was a book I would probably give it three stars?

I appreciate that Sanderson is vulnerable enough to share his past work. I think others can learn from this. No one starts out as a master of their craft. It's bit by bit. Bird by bird.

[Christian Wermeskerch]

The bad news is that this feels like seven distinct books stitched together in ways that don't flow super well. The great news is that five of these stories have already been turned into great individual books and two are probably on their way.

[Nicholas Kulesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truly one of the books of all time.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 3 stars for writing quality, but I'm giving it 4 because Brandon wrote this (280,000 words!) as his undergraduate honor's thesis, a remarkable feat. I don't know how he managed to finish college and write this book at the same time.
What I enjoyed most about this was seeing such an early stage in Brandon Sanderson's growth as an author. His talent for world-building, magic systems, and character development are all there, even if the story feels awkward and disjointed at times. If you are a Sanderson fan and you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it, if only to see how far he has come as an author. However, I recommend you read Way of Kings before this, as a large chunk of Dragonsteel's storyline is also used (and done much better) in Way of Kings.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 stars

My decision to read this book was almost 100% due to Michael Kramer and Kate Reading's narration. I was uploading the e- and audiobooks to my laptop in order to transfer them to my phone so I could read them (does anyone actually read on their laptop/computer) and when the audiobook finished uploading, it just started to play. I'm not exaggerating when I say I heard Michael Kramer coming out of the speakers and thought, "whelp, I can't stop him now. I guess I'm reading this book." I mean, who am I to switch off Michael Kramer?

Dragonsteel Prime had some good ideas character-wise and thematically, but Sanderson just did not have the skill to execute them in a way that draws readers in, like he does now. I read another one of the "Sanderson Curiosities" a few years ago, The Way of Kings Prime, and most of the criticisms I brought up in my review for that book translate to this one. The characters have none of the complexities that Sanderson is known for, and because of that, if this book had been traditionally published before his other works, I don't think we would have latched on to the characters like we now do.

The same goes for his early plot work. The beginnings of great stories are there in both Dragonsteel Prime and The Way of Kings Prime, but they are really just parts of the design process that lead to us getting the cannon The Way of Kings. In that way, I feel like I read the development of The Stormlight Archive backwards, going from the regular published The Way of Kings, to the prime version, to even earlier in the story's evolution with Dragonsteel Prime. Reading in the opposite direction to the author writing is an interesting experience. There are sections from Dragonsteel Prime that are obviously ripped out and refined before being included in later works, (the idea of the Shattered Plains is just too good a concept for the way it was utilised here) but there are other, more subtle ways this book has helped Sanderson become the author he is today. Some of those ways are probably only known to him.

The best part of Dragonsteel Prime was Hoid/Wit, or Topaz/Cephandrius, as he is called in this book. Reading those sections truly felt like I was reading modern Sanderson writing. Even if the characterisation of the rest of the cast was a bit bland, (Jerick in particular) the charm and, well, wit of Hoid/Topaz/Cephandrius (crikey man, pick a name) was timeless and evidently was something that came naturally to Sanderson early in his career.

Surprisingly for a Sanderson, the ending was the weakest part. The "twist" was obvious from a mile away, and there was no satisfying outer conflict resolution to make up for the severe lack of nuanced inner turmoil. What I am trying to say in so many words, is that the emotional beats Sanderson is known for were certainly no where near as strong as they are now, and there was no Sanderlanche in sight. I know at the time, Sanderson intended for this book to be the start of the series that would become his magnum opus, as he says in the introduction:

"In 1999, [...] it was time to do my “big” fantasy. The book that would launch my big series. My Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, or Dragonriders of Pern. The work I was confident some day, everyone would know me for.
That never happened."

He goes on to explain how the book never seemed to "click together" for him and he ended up largely abandoning it. Instead he more or less scrapped Dragonsteel for parts, taking out chunks of ideas that he fixed and adapted to fit other works that did succeed in getting published.

And in a similar vein to this book, the ending of this review will be lacklustre and abrupt, because everything I want to say I have said, and I have no concluding thoughts.

[Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd heard of Dragonsteel years ago. It was an enigma--a book Sanderson had written in college. There were only a few copies, and the waiting lists took forever. I didn't get around to it at BYU, and it wasn't until recently that I tracked down a copy. (It's been released to the public, but I was probably the last person to check out the physical original before that happened.)

It's the first Cosmere book ever written. You can tell that it's one of Sanderson's earlier books.

It's not very good.

Dragonsteel meanders all over the place. It has too much information and too many viewpoint characters and it doesn't commit to any of them. Not even the main protagonist. Instead of showing progression on the page, Sanderson makes use of time jumps. Egregious time jumps. Almost every single scene change results in months passing. Eventually, I stopped caring about the characters, because I was no longer a witness to them or their efforts. Their attempts to change, to become something more, happened off-screen, in the interim period between scenes.

I didn't get to witness the protagonist becoming more capable, or feel the expanse of the world through the eyes of travelers; I didn't get to sense the deep sorrow of the tragedies in the book, the emotional impact as choices entailed consequences. All of this is scrubbed out, repeatedly, by the words "a few months later."

Aristotle argued that literary works should operate within certain "unities." While his prescribed "unity of time" was a bit restrictive--that everything within a given drama should happen within 24 hours--it has some merits here. Sanderson capably displays the consequences of stretching out a drama across months and years, especially if not done well. It dilutes all impact. It waters down every emotional response into tepid nothingness.

It doesn't help that Dragonsteel is 280,000 words long. By comparison, Mistborn: The Final Empire is 213,000 words, and The Way of Kings is 383,000 words. So Dragonsteel is a rather hefty read.

It is tragic, then, that for being so large, it is also so insubstantial.

The book commits many sins of inexperienced writers. It doesn't understand pacing, or how to balance jargon. The dialogue is readable, though not particularly grounded. Emotional arcs exist, but they aren't coherent, and their payoffs don't feel thematically tied. Honestly, the themes feel mostly absent. The conclusion of the novel feels scrapped together, its plot points forced by means of necessity, not resulting from the drama itself.

It's interesting seeing hints about where certain ideas in the current Cosmere may have originated. I came into this book thinking that I'd encounter characters that would end up in other books. But on both of those fronts, I am wildly underwhelmed. The Easter eggs for longtime readers are spread thin and few and none of them are canonical anyway.

Was reading the book a complete waste of time? I think so, for the most part, though it's useful to see the beginnings of the current tour de force that Sanderson has become; it's important to recognize the very human, very flawed beginnings of a masterful trajectory. It gives the rest of us some hope. We are not doing as badly as we think.

[Bobby Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

How do you review a book that was never truly published, and only available now in book format because of the wild success of the author? Sanderson wrote this as his honors thesis, attempted to have it published, and was not succcessful. I am thankful for that, because the Stormlight Archive (what this eventually became) is so much better. To the original question though - to review this as a true novel seems unfair, but to review it as anything less could be misleading. As such I am just splitting it down the middle and calling it 3 stars, probably 2.5 if I could. Huge fans of Sanderson will love this for what it is (as I did) but if you are interested in Sanderson’s work - you absolutely should not start here. This is not a good book (in its current published format it isn’t intended to be). There are a lot of great things within it - but it also leaves a lot to be desired, and was a pretty unsatisfying conclusion. So if you want to give Sanderson a shot, read something else from him - and come back to this one if and when you become a superfan 🤣.

Anyway, as a Sanderson fanboy this was a fun one to spend some time on, and see many of the original ideas for what would become the Stormlight Archive. I did finish hoping for better closure - and instead got quite a few cliffhangers and so many questions that may never be answered. I sincerely hope that Sanderson writes more about Jerick someday, at the very least to satisfy my curiosity.

[Ellen Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5- a proto-Sanderson (if you will). It’s fascinating to see the little pieces that have been evolved into the form they currently are in the Cosmere. Fascinating to see the early work of a great writer. To see how they’ve grown and changed things but also see that beginning spark. It’s a very generous thing for him to share this early work- because it exposes an earlier skill level, but also is very helpful for anyone who wants to be a writer (or really a creator of any kind). To see that things can and should evolve and grow and as you make more your work will also improve and grow. Big thanks to Sanderson for releasing the audiobook. While not as strong as his recent works, it’s also better than some of the published and ‘fully formed’ books Ive read by other authors recently. So a 3.5- worth the time for big Sanderson fans, but probably a skip if you are new to Sanderson or not a fan. Read his other works instead. But as a fun insight and bonus? Absolutely read it.

[Ricky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The origin of Sanderson’s brand, this book was a surprise to me, being featured with his Words of Radiance leatherbound Kickstarter - I was only expecting Secret Project #5! But here we get one of Brando Sando’s very first manuscripts, the one he wrote in college at BYU, fresh from the vault as a special treat. Looking at this book, it’s easy to see how it’s written by a much younger hand - especially with the heavy Funetik Aksents, as well as plot details big and small which turn up in Sanderson’s later works (I’m looking at you, Shattered Plains, and bridges.) But as a rare and distinct Sanderson Curiosity, it’s great to see where he got his start, because I can tell you I’ve been doing the same, taking elements of my college manuscript and tinkering with them on other projects too. It gives me just a little more hope for my own future career as a writer…

[Blaine Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more of a Way of Kings Prime than the actual Way of Kings Prime. I had heard Sanderson mention that Bridge Four and the Shattered Plains were originally on Yolen in Dragonsteel. However, I didn’t ever think that it would mean that Dragonsteel Prime would feel like I was reading an early version of The Way of Kings. It was fun to read this and see the origin of Bridge Four and the Shattered Plains, but also fun to be able to see where they have gone since then. It is also fun to finally see Yolen to see the Shodel, and dragons. I did leave this wanting to see where he would have gone with the story. With how much was used for The Way of Kings, I don’t know if we will ever see where this would have gone. However, I would hope someday we would get a polished and finalized version of Jerick’s story.

[Elon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not really fair reviewing a book that was published 25 years after it was written, only because it would be interesting to see "behind the scenes" of early Sanderson writing. And it is. I could appreciate it, and enjoyed reading it.

It is not a bad fantasy story, but it was the right call(s) not to publish it "for real". The arguably best parts have been rightfully cannibalized to later books, and there's much squandered potential, from somewhat flat characters, a potentially deep yet shallow mythology, to an interesting but underdeveloped magic system.
It is not a good enough story to be the cornerstone of a fantasy epic, be it a trilogy of the whole Cosmere.
I am thankful we got this insight to early potential Cosmee, though.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an unfinished Sanderson, parts of which became The Way of Kings later on, so it is a bit unrefined but still entertaining. I liked to see the Shattered Planes and I also liked the protagonist, Jerrick. Especially his story gave me strong Wheel of Times vibes. Sadly, this is book one of a series and the ending was somewhat rushed and lacked closure. I really enjoyed Topaz the Fool as a character, I just love fools in general! Ryalla and light bending is also pretty nice. Well, I enjoyed the book but parts bored me and it all felt a bit unfinished and partly stereotypical. But I'd love to see what Brandon makes out of this book in the future. 3 stars

[Garrett Tschacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to it first off. Great book, sad there's not more. But deffiantly early work for Sanderson. Most notable early author flaw, is that the main character's journey doesn't feel natural. That is to say, where he ends up story wise seems horseshoed into how we know him as a characrer. Other than that, great book, cannot wait for Dragonsteel proper to see how much it's changed. Also, very cool how many elements, locations, characters, have been implemented into the cosmere proper in drastically different ways.