The Best Cosmere Reading Order for 2024

Let me guess: You want to start reading Brandon Sanderson cosmere books and get in on the hype. Then you look up the man’s bibliography and nearly faint from the staggering number of books involved. It’s enough to overwhelm even a seasoned fantasy reader!

This was me about eight months ago when I first started my Brando Sando journey, so I totally get how overwhelming it feels to so much as dip your toe into this universe, especially because establishing the best cosmere reading order is incredibly important to maximizing your enjoyment and comprehension of the series.

But I picked up my first cosmere book in December 2023, and as of last week, I have officially read every book that’s currently out! And so, as someone who recently took this same journey, I wanted to take that experience and turn it into the ultimate reading guide for new cosmere readers!

Granted, my list might look a little different than others you’ll find, but this is very close to the reading order I did and I have no regrets!

Without further ado, let’s get started.

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What is the Cosmere?

The cosmere is a fictional universe created by Brandon Sanderson. Several of his book series (and a few standalones) take place on different planets throughout this universe. While each series or book can typically be read independently of each other, there is a grander plot connecting the books, which is one of the reasons they are so fun to read!

Although Sanderson has said that you can start pretty much anywhere (provided you start with the first book in a series), most fans will tell you the right reading order is important for minimum overwhelm and maximum emotional impact!

Best Cosmere Reading Order Overview

Here is a snapshot of my suggested order, complete with a handy dandy infographic!:

• Yumi & The Nightmare Painter and Tress of the Emerald Sea
• The Original Mistborn Trilogy
  • The Final Empire
  • The Well of Ascension
  • The Hero of Ages
• Warbreaker
• The Stormlight Archive (Books 1-4, including the novellas)
  • The Way of Kings (1)
  • Words of Radiance (2)
  • Edgedancer (2.5, Novella)
  • Oathbringer (3)
  • Dawnshad (3.5, Novella)
  • Rhythm of War (4)
• Elantris
• Mistborn Era 2 (Wax & Wayne Saga, Books 1-3)
  • The Alloy of Law
  • Shadows of Self
  • The Bands of Mourning
• Secret History (Novella)
• Mistborn Era 2 (Wax & Wayne Saga, Book 4)
  • The Lost Metal
• Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection
• The Sunlit Man
• White Sand (Graphic Novels 1-3)

Reading Order Breakdown

Seasoned Sanderson fans might find this order a tad controversial, but I promise there’s a method to my madness! Here is a detailed explanation of my suggested reading order!

Yumi & The Nightmare Painter and Tress of the Emerald Sea

Yumi & Tress are Sanderson’s first two “secret project” books that were released in 2023. Yumi is something of a fantasy romance with anime/final fantasy vibes, and Tress is a sea-faring adventure reminiscent of The Princess Bride.

Putting them first in the reader order will no doubt set off some cosmere fans because – being among Sanderson’s most recent works – the cosmere is pretty well established by this point and there are lots of references and “easter eggs” in both books that will fly over a new readers head.

But I still like suggesting them as your entry point into cosmere because:

They are unintimidating standalones

Most people suggest starting with the Mistborn trilogy, but for new Sanderson readings, diving into a three-book, 1900+ page series can be very intimidating. At least, it was for me and I held off on reading these books for a long time for that reason.

But Yumi and Tress are very accessible. Both are well under 400 pages and stand alone well on their own. Yes, there are a few Easter eggs and references that will fly over your head, but I promise you won’t feel confused or frustrated by them. I can say this confidently because these two books where were I started my cosmere journey and I gave both of them five stars.

They showcase Sanderon’s skills as a writer

Sanderson has been publishing books for nearly 20 years, and his writing prowess has come a long way in that time. (This is also why I don’t recommend reading the books in publication order. Elantris, which is Sanderson’s first published novel, is further down on the reading order. It’s still a good book, but not the best way to get sucked into Sanderon’s work.)

In my opinion, Yumi and Tress showcases his best work. Not only are they super entertaining to read, but some of my favorite passages and quotes are within the pages of these books.

They are excellent stories

These are both five-star reads (granted, most of Sanderson’s books are), and Yumi & the Nightmare Painter in particular is a book I think about all the time. I loved them so much that I immediately bought the illustrated special editions from Sanderon’s shop as soon as I finished them, and let me tell you, they were dang expensive, especially with the shipping to Canada. (Totally worth it though.)

You’ll enjoy rereading them

Now that I’m up to date on reading all the cosmere books, I’m rereading Yumi & The Nightmare Painter and plan to reread Tress as well. I’m catching a lot more the second time around, which is super fun!

The Original Mistborn Trilogy

• The Final Empire
• The Well of Ascension
• The Hero of Ages

Now that you’ve dipped your toes into the cosmere, it’s time to get serious with the first Mistborn trilogy. Mistborn starts as a “heist” story where a crew of thieves get together to rob the tyrannical Lord Ruler. The magic system in this series is really unique and cool (a theme that is common throughout all of Sanderson’s work); the main character, Vin, is a Mistborn who can gain powers from ingesting certain metals.

Some people want to jump right into The Stormlight Archive, which is Sanderson’s opus, but the Mistborn trilogy is a fantastic series that will prime you for the longer, more complex books. Not only that, but the are easter eggs in the Stormlight Archive series that provide more emotional impact if you’ve read Mistborn first.

Speaking of emotional impact, this series will destroy you in the best possible way. The Hero of Ages, in particular, is one of the most jaw-dropping books I’ve ever read. In fact, it is my favorite book of all time!

Warbreaker

Once you finish Mistborn, you might be tempted to jump to Secret History or Mistborn era 2 right away. But I would urge you to hold off on these and return to Scadrial once you have traveled more of the cosmere! Now is a great time to read Warbreaker.

This standalone novel takes place on the planet of Nalthis, in the nation of Hallandren. The magic system in this book is one of my favorites; ever person on the planet has a “biochromatic breath” which can be given to others. If a person has enough breaths, they get magic powers from it and can do things like “awaken” inanimate objects. People with no breaths lose all their color and become what is known as a “drab.”

The story centers around two sisters, one who is set to marry the God king to prevent a war, and the other one who is set on rescuing her sister from what she’s sure is a terrible situation.

If you liked Yumi, you will like this book too as there is a fair bit of romance in it. And it makes for the perfect palette cleanser between two chonky series!

There are also some important characters that you will see again in other books if you watch carefully…

The Stormlight Archives (Books 1-4)

• The Way of Kings
• Words of Radiance
• Edgedancer
• Oathbringer
• Dawnshard
• Rhythm of War

If you’ve made it this far, you now have a good idea of what to expect from a Brandon Sanderson book: lots of internal dialogue and a dense plot for two-thirds of the book, and the exciting, jaw-dropping, soul-shattering “Sanderlanche” that is the last third of the book.

The Stormlight Archive is the same, but on a much larger scale. With each book 1000+ pages long, you are no longer just reading about these characters, you are living it with them! It is the most epic fantasy series I have ever read, but fair warning; jumping into this without knowing what to expect can be a bit deflating for some people, which is one of the main reasons I suggested waiting until this point to read it.

The Stormlight Archive takes place on the world of Roshar, a planet that is routinely ravaged by lethal storms. Even the trees and grass retreat when the storms come! The books have a wide cast of main characters, but the first book, The Way of Kings, is primarily centered on Kaladin Stormblessed, a surgeon-turned-solider-turned-slave.

What starts as a meandering story about a depressed individual trying not to give up on life evolves into one of the most powerful and inspiring fantasy stories I’ve ever read. I don’t want to say too much more about the story because I don’t want to spoil anything and it is best to just experience it for yourself.

The magic system involves stormlight and spren (sprite-like beings from the “cognitive realm”). It’s very scientific sounding and very well thought out!

Currently, there are four books in the series with two novellas. I recommend that you read them all in order, including the novellas, because they contain important info you will need later.

(If you want to save money, you don’t need to buy Edgedancer separately; it is included in the Arcanum Unbounded collection as well as Mistborn: Secret History. But Dawnshard is separate.)

Book five, Wind and Truth, comes out in December 2024, so that is why I have not included it until the end. Depending on what is revealed in that book, I may need to update the reading order!

Elantris

Once you finish reading Rhythm of War, you are going to be hungry for more cosmere books, making it the perfect time to finally read Elantris, Sanderson’s first published book and a standalone novel.

Elantris has a fascinating premise: it’s about a city of god-like beings who one day lose all their powers and become wretched, undying undesirables due to an unknown event. Citizens of the city outside, Arelon, are randomly cursed with the same blight, and upon being discovered to afflicted, they are banished of Elantris.

The story begins with Raoden, the prince of Arelon, awakening to find himself afflicted. Banished to the miserable city where every bump and scratch is unending agony, he must find a way to protect his kingdom from rival nations and find a way to make the most out of his prison.

Read my full Elantris review for more info!

Mistborn Era 2 (Wax & Wayne Saga, Books 1-3)

• The Alloy of Law
• Shadows of Self
• The Bands of Mourning

At long last, it is time to return to Scadrial and find out what’s been happening on this planet since The Hero of Ages in the Wax & Wayne saga. This series takes place 300 years later, and follows Waxillium Ladrian, a gun-slinging nobleman. At the start of The Alloy of Law, he is returning to the Roughs to take over his family estate in the city of Elendel after his uncle and sister die in a tragic accident.

This series builds on the magic system and lore from the original trilogy, but has a “Wild West meets Indiana Jones” vibe.

There are a couple of reasons why I recommend leaving this series until near the end of your cosmere journey:

The pacing and style are different

Sanderson has called this series a “counterbalance” to the Stormlight Archive – a way of keeping Scadrial alive in the minds of readers while he was working on his epic. As such, the books are shorter, more fast-paced, and focus on fewer characters than his other series.

There are important cosmere connections

I was surprised by how many important cosmere connections were in these books, especially when you get to the last two in the series. If you read this before the other books, you’d be missing a lot of subtle but important information.

However, once you finish The Bands of Mourning, you’re going to take a short detour…

Mistborn: Secret History

Now is finally time to read Secret History. I had been dying to read it ever since I finished Mistborn era 1, but I’m so glad I held off until this point in the journey because the emotional payoff was SO much greater. These events take place during era 1 but are “behind-the-scenes” so to speak.

There’s also a lot of cosmere explanations that are really important to learn! I won’t say any more about it because it will spoil the surprise, but trust me – if you don’t take any other suggestions in my reading order, do not read secret history until you’ve read all of era 1 and books 1-3 of era 2!

Mistborn Era 2 (Wax & Wayne Saga, Book 4)

• The Lost Metal

Now that you’ve read Secret History, you can return to Wax & Wayne for the conclusion of the series. This is the last you’ll see of Wax & Wayne, but not the last you’ll see of Scadrial – Sanderson plans on beginning era 3 in 2025!

Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

• The Emperor’s Soul
• The Hope of Elantris
• The Eleventh Metal
• Allomancer Jack and the Pits of Eltania
• Mistborn: Secret History
• White Sand (Graphic Novel Excerpt)
• Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell
• Sixth of the Dusk
• Edgedancer

Arcanum Unbounded is a collection of cosmere short stories. You will notice you have already read a couple of these by this point. (Secret History & Edgedancer.)

I left this collection until near the end of the reading order, but with the exception of Secret History and Edgedancer, it doesn’t really matter that much when you read most of them as they are pretty self-contained.

I would suggest reading them all but the most pertinent stories in the collection (aside from the previously mentioned two novellas) are:

The Emperor’s Soul

This Hugo award winning novella takes place on Sel, the same planet as Elantris, but features an entirely different nation and characters. The magic system involves patterns carved into stamps that can transform objects and even people. It’s a quick but cool read!

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell

This short story takes place on the planet of Threnody, where people who are killed in a certain manner turn into shades that haunt the forest and terrorize the locals if angered. It seems that Threnody may play an important role in the cosmere, and it is relevant to events in The Sunlit Man, so is worth reading!

Sixth of the Dust

This story was born from the Writing Excuses show, and takes place on a planet known as First of the Sun. It seems that more advanced civilizations in the cosmere have contacted the inhabitants of this planet, which has caused things to change, much to our main character Dusk’s chagrin.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and you definitely don’t want to skip it because Sanderson is releasing another book that is the sequel to this story in 2025 called Isles of the Emberdark!

The stories in this collection are a great read but one of my favorite things about the collection is that it includes maps of the solar systems the story takes place in followed by a brief chapter written from Khriss’s perspective that explains her findings and hypothesis about what is going on with the planets in each system.

Khriss is a scholar of the cosmere and the one who writes all those Ars Arcanum sections at the end of most cosmere books that explain the magic system.

The Sunlit Man

The Sunlit Man is an action-packed story with pacing similar to the Wax & Wayne saga and centres around the main character, Nomad, who has spent years outrunning the Night Brigade by “Skipping” from planet to planet. At the start of the story, he ends up on Canticle and is immediately met with danger from a deadly sun.

The Sunlit Man is Sanderson’s final secret projects book, and it’s very important that you only read it after reading most other cosmere series – namely, The Stormlight Archive. Unlike Yumi and Tress, which are quite self-contained and only reference the greater cosmere events in passing, The Sunlit Man is a cosmere-heavy book.

This means that if you haven’t at least read The Stormlight Archive, you might be confused by a lot of the events and background story in the book.

White Sand

White Sand is a series of three graphic novels set on the planet of Taldain (Khriss’s home planet.) If you’ve read Arcanum Unbounded, you’ve already seen a preview of this series.

In truth. it doesn’t really matter when you read this series. I put it last but you could read it anytime you feel like getting to it. Some magic from it is referenced in Rhythm of War, so you could read it before that if you want, but it doesn’t make a huge difference.

Imminent Upcoming Releases

There are countless cosmere books still in the pipeline, but there are a few imminent ones on the way which you may affect this reading order. Although if you are caught up on the cosmere, these will be your next reads regardless!

Wind and Truth – Release Date Dec, 6 2024

Wind and Truth is Sanderson’s fifth installment tothe Stormlight books, and a really important one at that! This series is ultimately going to be ten books, but book five completes the first main story arc. It comes out on December 6th, but you’ll be able to start reading early chapters every week on Reactormag starting on July 29th!

In the meantime, it remains one of my most anticipated releases in the fantasy genre.

Isles of the Emberdark – TBD 2025

As I mentioned earlier, Isles of the Emberdark is another novel Sanderson managed to crank out in time to entice us during his Words of Radiance leatherbound campaign earlier this year. There is no firm release date yet, but it will be sometime in 2025.

Final Thoughts

If you want to get lost in a fictional universe, you can’t do better than the cosmere. Although reading orders are important, not everyone is going to agree with my recommended reading order and that’s fine. You do what makes sense for you! After all, it’s all about “journey before destination“, am I right? (You’ll get that reference after you read Stormlight Archive.)

But this reading order worked for me and I loved every single second of it. Now go forth and read, worldhopper!

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