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The Stormlight Archive #2.1
Elsecaller / King Lopen the First of Alethkar
Two high-stakes Stormlight stories. One collectible volume.
"Angerspren are!" Ivory pulled Jasnah forward. "Called by your light and drawn by your fury. Calm it now or their food will be us!"
In Elsecaller, Jasnah Kholin faces threats beyond the physical realm as she navigates the dangerous intersection of Radiant powers and raw emotion. Written by Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells for the 2024 Story Deck®.
Being assassinated wasn't as bad as Elhokar Kholin, king of Alethkar, had expected it to be. The thing that had kept him looking over his shoulder all these years had finally happened, and he'd lived through it.
In King Lopen: The First of Alethkar, survival is just the beginning when the impossible happens to one of Roshar's most unexpected rulers. Written by Brandon Sanderson and Isaac Stewart for the 2024 Story Deck®.
"Angerspren are!" Ivory pulled Jasnah forward. "Called by your light and drawn by your fury. Calm it now or their food will be us!"
In Elsecaller, Jasnah Kholin faces threats beyond the physical realm as she navigates the dangerous intersection of Radiant powers and raw emotion. Written by Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells for the 2024 Story Deck®.
Being assassinated wasn't as bad as Elhokar Kholin, king of Alethkar, had expected it to be. The thing that had kept him looking over his shoulder all these years had finally happened, and he'd lived through it.
In King Lopen: The First of Alethkar, survival is just the beginning when the impossible happens to one of Roshar's most unexpected rulers. Written by Brandon Sanderson and Isaac Stewart for the 2024 Story Deck®.
115 pages, Hardcover
Published December 4, 2025
64 people are currently reading
3419 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Sanderson
400 books290k followersI’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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
April 23, 2026
4.75 stars
This was really good!!
Jasnah didn't really seem like herself for some of the book--probably because Sanderson didn't actually write most of Elsecaller besides the outline--but that was interesting to see what happened to Jasnah in Shadesmar, and I still liked it!!
I did cut 1/4 of a star because of how Jasnah was written in Elsecaller, but I still enjoyed it!! I do wish Elsecaller was a little longer and not so rushed, though.
Lopen was being ridiculous in his part of the book 🤣
Did he really think making his hand talk like a sock puppet would convince that girl of that- 🤣
If you like the main Stormlight books, I'd recommend this!
This was really good!!
Jasnah didn't really seem like herself for some of the book--probably because Sanderson didn't actually write most of Elsecaller besides the outline--but that was interesting to see what happened to Jasnah in Shadesmar, and I still liked it!!
I did cut 1/4 of a star because of how Jasnah was written in Elsecaller, but I still enjoyed it!! I do wish Elsecaller was a little longer and not so rushed, though.
Lopen was being ridiculous in his part of the book 🤣
Did he really think making his hand talk like a sock puppet would convince that girl of that- 🤣
If you like the main Stormlight books, I'd recommend this!
February 5, 2026
4.5 Stars
Elsecaller
Elsecaller follows Jasnah and Ivory as they’re plunged into Shadesmar in Words of Radiance. Written by Dan Wells, it’s a long awaited look at what happened to Jasnah in Words of Radiance and her relationship with Ivory. I wish it was longer!
The foreword by Sanderson explains a little bit about the mysterious character Jasnah and Ivory meet in Shadesmar. Without going into spoiler territory, I think it’s a beautiful marrying of Sanderson’s world and Wells’ narrative abilities. Especially considering Wells is Sanderson’s Vice-President of Narrative at Dragonsteel.
King Lopen: The First of Alethkar
King Lopen was cute and fun. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a story about Lopen. Lopen’s ridiculousness is handled perfectly without it feeling over-the-top. Elhokar was the surprising standout in this story. Readers see him grapple with his self-confidence and what it means to be a king.
Issac Stewart has been teased as a writer in the Cosmere for awhile, so it was nice to finally experience his writing. His writing style slots perfectly.
The art throughout both stories are GORGEOUS.
These stories highlight the strengths of their respective authors: Wells adds horror to Shadesmar, while Stewart brings levity and surprising emotional beats to Lopen’s tale. Combined with the gorgeous art, they show how shared creative voices can broaden the Cosmere with depth and delight.
Elsecaller
Elsecaller follows Jasnah and Ivory as they’re plunged into Shadesmar in Words of Radiance. Written by Dan Wells, it’s a long awaited look at what happened to Jasnah in Words of Radiance and her relationship with Ivory. I wish it was longer!
The foreword by Sanderson explains a little bit about the mysterious character Jasnah and Ivory meet in Shadesmar. Without going into spoiler territory, I think it’s a beautiful marrying of Sanderson’s world and Wells’ narrative abilities. Especially considering Wells is Sanderson’s Vice-President of Narrative at Dragonsteel.
King Lopen: The First of Alethkar
King Lopen was cute and fun. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a story about Lopen. Lopen’s ridiculousness is handled perfectly without it feeling over-the-top. Elhokar was the surprising standout in this story. Readers see him grapple with his self-confidence and what it means to be a king.
Issac Stewart has been teased as a writer in the Cosmere for awhile, so it was nice to finally experience his writing. His writing style slots perfectly.
The art throughout both stories are GORGEOUS.
These stories highlight the strengths of their respective authors: Wells adds horror to Shadesmar, while Stewart brings levity and surprising emotional beats to Lopen’s tale. Combined with the gorgeous art, they show how shared creative voices can broaden the Cosmere with depth and delight.
December 21, 2025
I had already read most of this as part of the story deck product, but I’m glad to see these two stories packaged together for convenient rereading. These shorts are canonical cosmere stories happening concurrently with Words of Radiance and fill in some interesting gaps. And the fantastic full color illustrations from the story deck cards are reproduced wonderfully.
February 9, 2026
King Lopen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was such a silly and fun story. Really good character work and really fleshed out the world even more. I could feel the love in th page. Lacking a little bit of plot for me, but I rather enjoyed and laughed a few times.
Elsecaller: ⭐️⭐️.5
Cool concept, but all the cool parts were skipped over. I kept thinking “That’s not my Jasnah!” I didn’t feel like Dan captured her right. Ivory, yes, but not Jasnah. Felt a lot more like fan fiction. Not for me.
Illustrations for both were absolutely gorgeous. Brought the stories to life.
This was such a silly and fun story. Really good character work and really fleshed out the world even more. I could feel the love in th page. Lacking a little bit of plot for me, but I rather enjoyed and laughed a few times.
Elsecaller: ⭐️⭐️.5
Cool concept, but all the cool parts were skipped over. I kept thinking “That’s not my Jasnah!” I didn’t feel like Dan captured her right. Ivory, yes, but not Jasnah. Felt a lot more like fan fiction. Not for me.
Illustrations for both were absolutely gorgeous. Brought the stories to life.
April 25, 2026
King Lopen was so silly and so fun. I could have gone for 500 pages of Elsecaller I really desperately wish we got more of that. It was so intriguing I just want more. So glad that Jasnah is back. Interested to see more of Ivory and Tyvneri.
April 13, 2026
Easy read that covers two fun stormlight stories!
March 12, 2026
Both great stories that fill in some of the events occurring behind Words of Radiance. I liked Elsecaller better because who doesn't love Jasnah, but it's hard not to love THE Lopen too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2026
I love that Brandon keeps playing with the entire format around delivering stories. This book is a set of two short stories that were first distributed... as decks of collectible cards during a convention. Bizarre place to start. But not only that, this book is... double sided? Elsecaller starts from one end and is one way up, and then you reach the end of that story and flip the book over and read King Lopen the First of Alethkar starting at the other end! It has two front covers!
And on top of that, Brandon also didn't write these stories himself. The shorthand here is that he has canonized some fanfiction, but that's not quite true either. Dan and Isaac are folks he works with, and Brandon was involved in the writing and revising of each story. In the end, their merging has worked well - the stories feel very true to the Stormlight series and the characters feel like themselves as they are seen in other books.
On to the stories themselves, I was definitely more excited about Elsecaller - seeing what happened to Jasnah after she (Words of Radiance spoiler) was something I've wanted to know more about for quite some time. And seeing an (Oathbringer spoiler) was also fascinating. Alas, the story was over very quickly!
King Lopen surprised me and I enjoyed it quite a lot. Lopen is a fun character to be around and I can definitely see where Sanderson was going in the foreword for this story, in making sure that Lopen didn't become too much slapstick or too absurd. It's also a real pull at the heartstrings to see (Oathbringer spoiler)
This book is short and not essential to the larger Stormlight story, but it is nice flavor to sprinkle on top of the Stormlight main courses that makes the full dish all the better.
And on top of that, Brandon also didn't write these stories himself. The shorthand here is that he has canonized some fanfiction, but that's not quite true either. Dan and Isaac are folks he works with, and Brandon was involved in the writing and revising of each story. In the end, their merging has worked well - the stories feel very true to the Stormlight series and the characters feel like themselves as they are seen in other books.
On to the stories themselves, I was definitely more excited about Elsecaller - seeing what happened to Jasnah after she (Words of Radiance spoiler) was something I've wanted to know more about for quite some time. And seeing an (Oathbringer spoiler) was also fascinating. Alas, the story was over very quickly!
King Lopen surprised me and I enjoyed it quite a lot. Lopen is a fun character to be around and I can definitely see where Sanderson was going in the foreword for this story, in making sure that Lopen didn't become too much slapstick or too absurd. It's also a real pull at the heartstrings to see (Oathbringer spoiler)
This book is short and not essential to the larger Stormlight story, but it is nice flavor to sprinkle on top of the Stormlight main courses that makes the full dish all the better.
March 31, 2026
Lecture en demi teinte : j'ai tout bonnement adoré la partie Elsecaller, qui a comblé une petite partie d'ombre de Roshar sur les événements de l'assassinat de Jasnah. Ça m'a donné de nouveaux éléments de compréhension du personnage, de sa relation avec Ivory et même des prémices de sa relation avec Wit. Et donc tout naturellement l'envie de continuer ma relecture de Roshar.
Mais si j'ai adoré Elsecaller et que je parle d'une lecture en demi teinte c'est que l'autre nouvelle... meh. J'aime The Lopen, j'aime beaucoup le personnage d'Elhokar mais je n'étais pas prête à voir ce style de nouvelle un peu barrée dans un contexte rosharien et ça ne l'a pas fait pour moi. Les enjeux sont grands, l'absurde n'a pas été vraiment à leur service et même si je vois le potentiel j'aurais aimé lire quelque chose sur un ton plus Roshar. En revanche, c'est en partie de ma faute : on parle ici des histoires Story Deck et leur nature même fait que ce ne sont pas vraiment des nouvelles au même niveau que Edgedancer ou Dawnshard (même si Elsecaller est totalement à leur niveau.) Donc avec un peu de recul, j'apprécierai peut être davantage King Lopen. J'espère.
Mais si j'ai adoré Elsecaller et que je parle d'une lecture en demi teinte c'est que l'autre nouvelle... meh. J'aime The Lopen, j'aime beaucoup le personnage d'Elhokar mais je n'étais pas prête à voir ce style de nouvelle un peu barrée dans un contexte rosharien et ça ne l'a pas fait pour moi. Les enjeux sont grands, l'absurde n'a pas été vraiment à leur service et même si je vois le potentiel j'aurais aimé lire quelque chose sur un ton plus Roshar. En revanche, c'est en partie de ma faute : on parle ici des histoires Story Deck et leur nature même fait que ce ne sont pas vraiment des nouvelles au même niveau que Edgedancer ou Dawnshard (même si Elsecaller est totalement à leur niveau.) Donc avec un peu de recul, j'apprécierai peut être davantage King Lopen. J'espère.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2026
King Lopen the First of Alethkar: 5 stars, perfect character study (of Elhokar, I mean; sorry Lopen, I don't care about you that much).
Elsecaller: this one was kinda pointless. It promised to show us how Jasnah got back to Roshar, but frankly, it skipped over all the interesting things that happened on the journey and focused only on the fights (boring). It didn't help that the story felt rushed, her character "growth" and "sacrifice" happened out of the blue and left no emotional impact.
The art is gorgeous though.
Elsecaller: this one was kinda pointless. It promised to show us how Jasnah got back to Roshar, but frankly, it skipped over all the interesting things that happened on the journey and focused only on the fights (boring). It didn't help that the story felt rushed, her character "growth" and "sacrifice" happened out of the blue and left no emotional impact.
The art is gorgeous though.
December 30, 2025
4/5 stars
As a self proclaimed Lopen hater, no one was expecting to hate King Lopen more than I. But I think Isaac Stewart pulled that off well! I also like Dan Wells other horror stories, so his story in Shadesmar with Jasnah being chased by Angerspren felt new and fun to read! I'm really excited to see what other authors can do in the cosmere. This book was a fun surprise I found at Dragonsteel Nexus that I didn't know existed and both short stories were quite good
As a self proclaimed Lopen hater, no one was expecting to hate King Lopen more than I. But I think Isaac Stewart pulled that off well! I also like Dan Wells other horror stories, so his story in Shadesmar with Jasnah being chased by Angerspren felt new and fun to read! I'm really excited to see what other authors can do in the cosmere. This book was a fun surprise I found at Dragonsteel Nexus that I didn't know existed and both short stories were quite good
January 20, 2026
Didn’t know this book existed until recently. King Lopen is super fun and insightful. Elsecaller is good, but is a little cliché and skips over a ton of juicy plot (tbh Jasnah’s adventures in Shadesmar could probably be its own book). Would definitely recommend to get more canon Stormlight flavor text.
February 24, 2026
Very simple and fun little short stories that take place on Roshar. It’s fun to revisit some areas from my favorite book in the series from the perspectives of characters we see less of (particularly getting to see more from Jasnah and Elhokar). Additionally, it makes me feel better about Wells and Stewart apply their own creative voices on the Cosmere as it’s pretty they understand how to use these characters effectively. 3.5/5.
December 16, 2025
A fun pair of stories.
King Lopen is lighter and fairly funny, following Lopen around for the afternoon that he was king of Alethkar.
Elsecaller, meanwhile, follows Jasnah as she falls into Shadesmar and journeys to get home.
King Lopen is lighter and fairly funny, following Lopen around for the afternoon that he was king of Alethkar.
Elsecaller, meanwhile, follows Jasnah as she falls into Shadesmar and journeys to get home.
December 20, 2025
This book is two separate novellas.
King Lopen was so funny yet meaningful and gave you an even better look in Elokhar’s life.
Elsecaller was just okay for me. It felt too short and could have been more flushed out. I enjoyed seeing Ivory as a character more but wish it didn’t end so soon.
King Lopen was so funny yet meaningful and gave you an even better look in Elokhar’s life.
Elsecaller was just okay for me. It felt too short and could have been more flushed out. I enjoyed seeing Ivory as a character more but wish it didn’t end so soon.
December 27, 2025
Read this again from my story deck.
Glad they decided to put this in book form!
Glad they decided to put this in book form!
January 5, 2026
4 stars. It was really enjoyable to read both of these "Stormlight" stories. Fun, quick and, particularly in Elsecaller's case, very helpful backstory. The King Lopen story was hilarious but also provided some very interesting insight into King Elhokar. I hope Brandon continues to allow these other voices (Dan Wells and Isaac Stewart) to write these Stormlight side stories.
February 19, 2026
This is a really fun little book.
One story has spoilers for a pretty big reveal later in the series but is great.
The other is about Lopen becoming King for a day, and it is an absolute joy!
One story has spoilers for a pretty big reveal later in the series but is great.
The other is about Lopen becoming King for a day, and it is an absolute joy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2026
It was definitely good fun and I like that Brandon is letting others right stories in the cosmere. I’m looking forward to his novellas more though.
3/5
3/5
January 27, 2026
So much thought and care into this book. I appreciate the print quality and art, and the stories themselves are peak.
April 6, 2026
Elsecaller: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
King Lopen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
King Lopen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 8, 2026
A couple of nice little stories that take place during Words of Radiance, though neither are written by Sanderson himself (but he did supervise and approve them).
These are the same ones on the Stormlight Tales cards, but in a way more readable format and the full gorgeous artworks by Erion Makuo and Marie Seeberger. The cards are still worth hunting down if you're interested because of the foils and the nonsense cards, though the Lopen nonsense scenes are also included in this book. Also, you're missing out on Chasmfriends!
Spoilers for Words of Radiance (obvs) and Oathbringer.
These are the same ones on the Stormlight Tales cards, but in a way more readable format and the full gorgeous artworks by Erion Makuo and Marie Seeberger. The cards are still worth hunting down if you're interested because of the foils and the nonsense cards, though the Lopen nonsense scenes are also included in this book. Also, you're missing out on Chasmfriends!
Spoilers for Words of Radiance (obvs) and Oathbringer.
April 29, 2026
I had no idea these stories even existed until recently, so that alone made this a really fun surprise. As a fan of the Stormlight Archive, finding extra content like this feels like stumbling onto bonus material you didn’t know you were missing.
Both Elsecaller and King Lopen are quick, easy reads, and I had a lot of fun with them. They don’t overstay their welcome and are perfect if you just want a little more time in the world without committing to a full novel.
That said, I am really curious how much of this will matter going forward. Are these laying groundwork for bigger Cosmere connections, or are they more like Easter eggs for readers who want to dig deeper? It’s hard to tell, but it definitely adds some extra context that could become important later.
One thing that stood out—and not always in a great way—is that some of the character voicing felt a bit off. Knowing these weren’t fully written by Brandon Sanderson explains that. It’s not bad by any means, just noticeable if you’re used to how he normally writes these characters.
My biggest disappointment was Elsecaller. I was actually really looking forward to that one, and it felt like a lot of it was glossed over. There’s clearly something interesting there, but we only get a surface-level look. I really hope this is something that gets explored more in future books, because it feels like there’s a lot of untapped potential.
Overall, these were fun reads. I’m not sure how essential they’ll be to the larger story, but they definitely add some nice extra layers to the world. I just wish Elsecaller had gone deeper.
Both Elsecaller and King Lopen are quick, easy reads, and I had a lot of fun with them. They don’t overstay their welcome and are perfect if you just want a little more time in the world without committing to a full novel.
That said, I am really curious how much of this will matter going forward. Are these laying groundwork for bigger Cosmere connections, or are they more like Easter eggs for readers who want to dig deeper? It’s hard to tell, but it definitely adds some extra context that could become important later.
One thing that stood out—and not always in a great way—is that some of the character voicing felt a bit off. Knowing these weren’t fully written by Brandon Sanderson explains that. It’s not bad by any means, just noticeable if you’re used to how he normally writes these characters.
My biggest disappointment was Elsecaller. I was actually really looking forward to that one, and it felt like a lot of it was glossed over. There’s clearly something interesting there, but we only get a surface-level look. I really hope this is something that gets explored more in future books, because it feels like there’s a lot of untapped potential.
Overall, these were fun reads. I’m not sure how essential they’ll be to the larger story, but they definitely add some nice extra layers to the world. I just wish Elsecaller had gone deeper.
December 17, 2025
According to the prefaces of both of these stories, these are canonical stories. Crazy. However, they’re both side stories that you don’t need to read to enjoy the Stormlight Archive but will provide fun extra details to those interested. This dual-story book also has some great full-color artwork in it that is worth looking at. Overall I would recommend reading this book if you’re a Stormlight Archive fan.
King Lopen the First of Alethkar—3/5 stars
Apparently Lopen was actually canonically king for a day, and this is the story of how that happened and what Lopen did as king. It was silly, as was to be expected whenever Lopen is involved. I enjoyed my time reading it, but I also don’t feel like it was important to the overall Stormlight narrative in any way.
Elsecaller—4.5/5 stars
This is the story of Jasnah after she goes away for a period of time in Words of Radiance. Definitely a story to be read after Words of Radiance if you don’t want to spoil a pivotal scene for yourself. I like Jasnah as a character, and thus I enjoyed this story a lot. It features references to other worlds in the Cosmere, including one I’ve not heard of before. I liked the two new characters we met too, and Brandon said in the preface to keep an eye out for one of them in future Cosmere novels, which piqued my interest. I felt like this story was more than just filler and was actually important to the overall Cosmere, but it is still not necessary to read to understand and enjoy the greater Stormlight books.
King Lopen the First of Alethkar—3/5 stars
Apparently Lopen was actually canonically king for a day, and this is the story of how that happened and what Lopen did as king. It was silly, as was to be expected whenever Lopen is involved. I enjoyed my time reading it, but I also don’t feel like it was important to the overall Stormlight narrative in any way.
Elsecaller—4.5/5 stars
This is the story of Jasnah after she goes away for a period of time in Words of Radiance. Definitely a story to be read after Words of Radiance if you don’t want to spoil a pivotal scene for yourself. I like Jasnah as a character, and thus I enjoyed this story a lot. It features references to other worlds in the Cosmere, including one I’ve not heard of before. I liked the two new characters we met too, and Brandon said in the preface to keep an eye out for one of them in future Cosmere novels, which piqued my interest. I felt like this story was more than just filler and was actually important to the overall Cosmere, but it is still not necessary to read to understand and enjoy the greater Stormlight books.
April 15, 2026
Elsecaller is a Stormlight short story that tells of what happened to Jasnah while she was trapped in Shadesmar. While knowing this would have been great, I thought the story told here was kind of underwhelming. Nothing much really happens except being introduced to two new characters from other worlds, a historian and a child that can see the future. They also don’t really do much and felt like they were there to set up a future Cosmere book about them.
This doesn’t actually feel like a Brandon Sanderson book, so that’s probably Dan Wells showing up in the writing. Jasnah just felt very different or maybe it’s just because she is still very early in her character’s arc that we have already seen through 5 books. What I did like was getting to see more of Jasnah’s spren Ivory who has a very unique voice and personality. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
King Lopen the First of Alethkar is a Stormlight short story that was originally released as a Story Deck and tells of what happened while Elhokar was in hiding in Lopen’s mother’s house. This was honestly fantastic and just a fun addition even though I never felt like this was missing from the main books.
It follows both King Elhokar and Lopen, and both were great expansions of their characters. We’ve never actually followed Elhokar before so this was a nice bonus as he goes through a great introspective journey that was very much the heart of this story. Meanwhile, we see Lopen get his arm back and develop a sock puppet King’s Wit in a series of fun sequences that feels true to who he is.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This doesn’t actually feel like a Brandon Sanderson book, so that’s probably Dan Wells showing up in the writing. Jasnah just felt very different or maybe it’s just because she is still very early in her character’s arc that we have already seen through 5 books. What I did like was getting to see more of Jasnah’s spren Ivory who has a very unique voice and personality. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
King Lopen the First of Alethkar is a Stormlight short story that was originally released as a Story Deck and tells of what happened while Elhokar was in hiding in Lopen’s mother’s house. This was honestly fantastic and just a fun addition even though I never felt like this was missing from the main books.
It follows both King Elhokar and Lopen, and both were great expansions of their characters. We’ve never actually followed Elhokar before so this was a nice bonus as he goes through a great introspective journey that was very much the heart of this story. Meanwhile, we see Lopen get his arm back and develop a sock puppet King’s Wit in a series of fun sequences that feels true to who he is.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 17, 2026
There has long been talk about other authors inside Dragonsteel taking over stories in the Cosmere that Brandon is just not getting to. As fast as he writes, he can't possibly do it all. So why not involve his creative friends, who have been with him for a long time?
This collection of two stories is a good first taste of that. Initially these were for the Storydeck cards collectible at Dragonsteel Nexus, I believe.
I absolutely loved King Lopen by Isaac Stewart, VP of Creative Development at Dragonsteel. From the Preface we know that Brandon was more involved with this story to get the balance right. And it paid off. It is funny and endearing but not without substance and more insight into a Stormlight character (not Lopen). Wonderful.
Elsecaller was written by Dan Wells, VP of Narrative at Dragonsteel and himself a published author. It is about what Jasnah was doing, and I'm trying to be vague here, during one of the Stormlight books. We didn't really know until now and Brandon never got around to writing it, as he tells in the preface. Now we know. Good story. I always liked Jasnah and Dan got the tone right for her.
I think we will be in good hands concerning the expansion of the Cosmere with other authors joining to put Brandon's vision and ideas to the page.
This collection of two stories is a good first taste of that. Initially these were for the Storydeck cards collectible at Dragonsteel Nexus, I believe.
I absolutely loved King Lopen by Isaac Stewart, VP of Creative Development at Dragonsteel. From the Preface we know that Brandon was more involved with this story to get the balance right. And it paid off. It is funny and endearing but not without substance and more insight into a Stormlight character (not Lopen). Wonderful.
Elsecaller was written by Dan Wells, VP of Narrative at Dragonsteel and himself a published author. It is about what Jasnah was doing, and I'm trying to be vague here, during one of the Stormlight books. We didn't really know until now and Brandon never got around to writing it, as he tells in the preface. Now we know. Good story. I always liked Jasnah and Dan got the tone right for her.
I think we will be in good hands concerning the expansion of the Cosmere with other authors joining to put Brandon's vision and ideas to the page.
December 23, 2025
I was initially hesitant to read these two novellas, as they weren't directly written by Brandon beyond the outlines. However, as they are official Cosmere canon, they felt like essential reads.
Elsecaller is a solid 4 ⭐️ story. It effectively fills a gap in Jasnah's narrative from Words of Radiance, while introducing new characters, worlds, and prophecies for the second half of Stormlight. In my opinion, this served as a successful litmus test for Dan Wells’ ability to write within the Cosmere.
King Lopen was less appealing—a generous 3 ⭐️ story. There was less narrative meat to work with, and while I appreciated the introduction of a more repentant Elhokar and the early signs of him seeing spren, the story felt more like a series of wacky antics with humor that generally fell flat. This makes me a bit more concerned about Isaac Stewart’s future Cosmere contributions, though to be fair, Lopen is a much harder character to balance than Jasnah. Furthermore, while I know Brandon intends for Lopen to be Hispanic-coded, the writing here felt a bit more cringe and leaned into uncomfortable racialized tropes.
Elsecaller is a solid 4 ⭐️ story. It effectively fills a gap in Jasnah's narrative from Words of Radiance, while introducing new characters, worlds, and prophecies for the second half of Stormlight. In my opinion, this served as a successful litmus test for Dan Wells’ ability to write within the Cosmere.
King Lopen was less appealing—a generous 3 ⭐️ story. There was less narrative meat to work with, and while I appreciated the introduction of a more repentant Elhokar and the early signs of him seeing spren, the story felt more like a series of wacky antics with humor that generally fell flat. This makes me a bit more concerned about Isaac Stewart’s future Cosmere contributions, though to be fair, Lopen is a much harder character to balance than Jasnah. Furthermore, while I know Brandon intends for Lopen to be Hispanic-coded, the writing here felt a bit more cringe and leaned into uncomfortable racialized tropes.
January 18, 2026
I picked this up at Dragonsteel 2025 not knowing anything about it other than it had a story about Lopen in it. What it is, is the completed texts of two stories from the collected story cards that were given out at Dragonsteel 2024. The first story is Elsecaller, chronicling the adventures of a certain Stormlight Archive character’s adventures in Shadesmar during her “disappearance” after an event in Way of Kings. I really enjoyed this story. The character has a nice self-reflection moment and introduces two interesting new characters. I also enjoyed the art and seeing more of said character’s spren and the anger spren in Shadesmar.
The second story was based on a throwaway line that Lopen said in one of the Stormlight books about him being the King of Alethkar one time. Apparently it was not just Lopen being Lopen 😂 It was funny and I got to see a lot of Herdazian culture. If you’re not a Lopen fan it might not be for you, but I enjoyed it a lot. Lopen’s mom is my new favorite Herdazian. I need to see more of her in the future.
The second story was based on a throwaway line that Lopen said in one of the Stormlight books about him being the King of Alethkar one time. Apparently it was not just Lopen being Lopen 😂 It was funny and I got to see a lot of Herdazian culture. If you’re not a Lopen fan it might not be for you, but I enjoyed it a lot. Lopen’s mom is my new favorite Herdazian. I need to see more of her in the future.
March 31, 2026
Two fun stories that are nice to have, but nothing incredibly special. I preferred Elsecaller between the two, as I was interested to see how Jasnah survived in Words of Radiance. The characters she met in Shadesmar were interesting, and I really hope to see them again in the future.
King Lopen was okay, but probably a little too silly for me. I like the premise of the story, though I am not sure what happened would be enough to officially consider Lopen as having been the King of Alethkar. Is Elhokar really able to abdicate like that with no ceremony? Seems odd, but I guess I don't make the rules. Loen has never been my favorite character, and the humor around him has really failed to land with me even in the main novels, so I think this story just wasn't for me.
Still, I am glad they published these stories, and the little book edition may be worth it for the incredible artwork alone.
King Lopen was okay, but probably a little too silly for me. I like the premise of the story, though I am not sure what happened would be enough to officially consider Lopen as having been the King of Alethkar. Is Elhokar really able to abdicate like that with no ceremony? Seems odd, but I guess I don't make the rules. Loen has never been my favorite character, and the humor around him has really failed to land with me even in the main novels, so I think this story just wasn't for me.
Still, I am glad they published these stories, and the little book edition may be worth it for the incredible artwork alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2026
Elsecaller: I liked learning of Jasnah’s time in Shadesmar, especially as she learns more of the dangers there. She and Ivory meet a historian named Tyvneri and a young girl named Lorieta. Both are quite interesting. Through them, Jasnah learns of other worlds, and about herself. The end was quite good.
King Lopen: This was a little too much Lopen and not enough Elhokar. I liked seeing the period of time Elhokar spends with the Herdazians, and how/why that time was good for him. Lopen’s mother, Isa, is fantastic. It’s almost adorable how Stewart was afraid of being too silly with The Lopen even though that’s exactly who the character is. And yes, The Lopen WAS actually king for a part of a day.
I liked the addition of Sincerity spren :)
King Lopen: This was a little too much Lopen and not enough Elhokar. I liked seeing the period of time Elhokar spends with the Herdazians, and how/why that time was good for him. Lopen’s mother, Isa, is fantastic. It’s almost adorable how Stewart was afraid of being too silly with The Lopen even though that’s exactly who the character is. And yes, The Lopen WAS actually king for a part of a day.
I liked the addition of Sincerity spren :)
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