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.
My favorite author of all time. He is absolutely one of a kind. Honestly words won't do his writing justice. He is a master of magic systems and character development. His world building is unparalleled and I cannot give him enough praise .. I am just waiting for book 4 of the Stormlight Archive to come out. 11-17-20!!
Great series, with excellent world building and complex story lines. At times it felt a little overdone, and/or the characters not as fleshed out/subtle as I'd prefer, but the overall story (stories) and the world pulled me in and kept me wanting more.
yes, we all know that the Stormlight Archive is one hunk of a series, but it is still a work of art, weaving in hundreds of insights, plots, and characters together effortlessly. Don't let the size deter you from reading a beautiful story! Book 1 summary: a magical race called Parshendi assassinate the king, causing a war that kills hundreds of humans. During these times kings unite, but they also become comfortable with fighting, not caring to really end it. They live comfortably, so who cares if this drags on for another century? While the lords keep a stalemate with the Parshendi, though, common "darkeyes" are being killed by the hundreds. That's where are main character comes in- Kaladin, a comon darkeyes who makes friends with a spirit-like spren called Syl. He is forced to fight as a "bridgeman", which basically means he has to run in front of the army as a human shield. As the battle boils about him he finds that he has powers- arrows bend away from him, energy seeps of him, etc. he realizes that the only way he can protect his fellow bridgemen is to stop the fight completely, which is even harder than he had imagined. At the same time, an low noblewoman named Shallan goes off the mighty philosopher/scientist Jasnah to steal a magic tool, but that also leads to struggles she couldn't imagine. Please read this wonderful book. You will love it, I promise!
Omg... this story is soo flippin epic. Get past the first half book and it just soars. Even my husband, who’s not particularly a fantasy fan, couldn’t put it down. My husband likes drama. The story is interesting, so much better that the game of throne series, or lord of rings. To me, it’s parallel to how Harry Potter felt when the books came out before the movies. No one knew wtf was going to happen. And everyone picked up book 5 and had to read until 7 was done. That’s how this series is. You get past the first half book and you just can’t stop until it’s all done. I sooo hope the movies don’t ruin it.
Man I love Brandon Sanderson. There are no words. His world building is so incredibly intricate you can feel the love and attention that he has put into making a world and weaving this story into it. For anyone who is exhausted by the predictable, bland, and regularly childish world of YA fantasy, The Stormlight Archives will make you love fantasy again. Further, this is certainly a reflection of a maturity in Sanderson’s career, it feels as though this was the story he had been wanting to write far more than the YA of Mistborh and Calamity. This series kept me company traveling and my first book (The Way of Kings) is barely holding together after two weeks in Benin. I’m honestly afraid that I’ll never find such joy in a fantasy book again but it’s worth it.
This could be in contention for my favorite Fantasy series with LoTR and Wheel of Time. Sanderson is amazing at the epic fantasy. He includes every sort of character from total sleeze-ball to reluctant hero. Man or woman...or Spren. They're all eligible to be awesome in this series. Just get through the first epilogue understanding that you WON'T catch all the names at first, especially since some of the Heralds have multiple names. There are a b'jillion characters in the series, but only a dozen or so you truly need to focus on. It's well worth the arthritis you'll get from hefting the books.
This is the greatest series ever created. Brandon Sanderson does a great job creating the characters. Every character has development in this book. The characters are also very relatable, one has depression but is fighting to overcome it, another knows what is right but everyone is doubting them, another wants to help her family but is worried that what she will do will just harm it more. This series also has great worldbuilding, everything makes sense. The magic system is well thought out and is consistent throughout the series. This is a amazing series and you should read it.
I’ve listened to every book from the Stormlight Archive on audio and this is easily one of my favorite series if not my favorite. While listening to these books, however, I’ve always been working on home projects so the books rarely had my full attention.
With the fifth and final book set to come out at the end of this year, I’ve decided to reread the physical copies of at least the four main books. I’m barely into the first book but I can tell I’m going to enjoy these books way more now that I’m physically reading them.
Honestly such an amazing series, the writing is phenomenal the power system, the world, the way Brandon portrays the characters is such a complex way and the growth they experience makes it such a page turner, can wait for the next 6 books and all the novellas that come along with it, journey before destination.
A fun and interesting mystery for a few books. The first 3 I enjoyed, the 4th I DNF. Good genre fiction, but no complicated ideas to discuss with friends. Overwritten. Each book could stand to loose 200 pages (!) and still probably cut some fat after that. Not in the top 20 fantasy novels, but fun in the way Harry Potter is fun.
You can’t beat Sanderson and this is his finest thus far. The underlying message of the power of hope and doing the right thing crown his master storytelling with a message we all long for.
Best fantasy series available. I've read a decent amount of this genre now. I would start with Mistborn if you're new to the epic fantasy world, but I submit that SA is the ultimate fantasy read.
This is one of my absolute favs. I have gotten full body chills at least once reading each book. I love the storyline, and you get very invested in the characters. I also really like the moral uprightness of the series. It focuses a lot on honor and making the right choices just because they are right. This is one that is written for adults, but I would be comfortable letting my kids read.