Best Brandon Sanderson Books According To Goodreads

Published Nov 8, 2026, 6:30 PM EST Ambrose Tardive is an editor on ScreenRant's Comics team. Over the past two years, he has developed into the internet's foremost authority on The Far Side. Outside of his work for ScreenRant, Ambrose works as an Adjunct English Instructor. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Brandon Sanderson is among the undisputed masters of 21st-century fantasy fiction, something that is made clear by his work's high average ratings on Goodreads. While Sanderson's work is still finding its mainstream audience, legions of fantasy readers have heaped praise on him and his major franchises over the course of his twenty-year (and counting) career. Those franchises include Mistborn and Stormlight Archive, the two ongoing series that lord over this ranking. Check below to find out which entries from each are the most highly-regarded, and highly-rated, on Goodreads. Just a few notes before digging in. This list sets 500,000 ratings as its low-end cutoff point. And though this is technically a Top 5 list, there are six entries, because as is often the case on Goodreads, two titles currently share an identical rating, tying for 4th place here. Finally, it is worth noting that with the advent of half and quarter-star ratings on Goodreads as of last month, breaking down the tabulations for a book has become trickier. For now, we're rounding up. With that in mind, let's turn our attention to the top-rated Brandon Sanderson novels on Goodreads. Appropriately, the book in the #5 spot is the perfect place to start, because while it wasn't Sanderson's debut, it can be considered the true start of his prolific fantasy career, which has put him in the conversation with authors like Tolkien, Martin, Jordan, and Maas, and more. 6 Mistborn: The Final Empire Mistborn Book 1; 4.48 Star Average The Mistborn franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. The series' first installment, The Final Empire, dropped in 2006. It was Brandon Sanderson's second published novel, and really the start of his prolific career to come. Mistborn became a trilogy over the next several years, and that was followed by four more novels and a novella, with another trilogy planned. Of the seven Mistborn novels so far, the one that started it all holds the second-highest average rating on Goodreads. That said, it is the most rated by far; The Final Empire is currently closing in on 1.1 million ratings overall, with nearly 80,000 users currently reading the book, and a million more with it on their "to read" list. 59% of users have given The Final Empire 5-stars, and another 31% rated it 4-stars. That leaves just around 10% of 3-star or less ratings. That puts it in elite company. Of the fantasy novels on Goodreads with over one million ratings, it is 4th overall. 5 Rhythm Of War Stormlight Archive Book 4; 4.56 Star Average The Stormlight Archive is Brandon Sanderson's second major ongoing franchise set in his overarching "Cosmere Universe." Sanderson has ten Stormlight Archive novels planned, five of which have been released, along with two novellas, with more to come. At least by Goodreads metrics, this is considered by many to be the stronger of the two franchises. Book 4 in the series, Rhythm of War, is tied for 4th on this Top 5 list with the third Mistborn book, but after that it is all Stormlight. That said, Rhythm of War has been rated substantially less, of the two, to the tune of just under 275,000 times. Of those, the response to the book is overwhelmingly positive. 64% 5-stars and 27% 4-stars, with less than 9% of users lukewarm or dissatisfied by the book. What does that tell us? That the Stormlight Archives series remains consistently strong through the extant books so far. 4 The Hero Of Ages Mistborn Book 3; 4.56 Star Average The culminating installment of the first Mistborn trilogy, The Hero of Ages, is currently the series' highest rated entry. Its 4.56-star average is based on just north of 650,000 ratings. It clocks in at 65% 5-star ratings, and 26% 4-stars, in line with the Goodreads the rest of the top-tier Brandon Sanderson novels. 5-star reviews of Hero of Ages are effusive, pointing to an emotionally exhausting, but extremely satisfying conclusion. "No one writes fantasy like Brandon Sanderson does," one user wrote, while many others noted screaming, crying, and feeling "changed" by the experience of reading the book. There are only about two thousand 1-star reviews of the book, but they paint a much different portrait of the book. Still, by the standards of most Goodreads users who have read and reviewed Hero of Ages, it is must-read modern fantasy. 3 Oathbringer Stormlight Archive Book 3; 4.59 Star Average The third Stormlight Archive novel is also the third-highest rated Brandon Sanderson novel on Goodreads. It currently holds a slim 0.03 margin over Rhythm of War, its sequel, and it has been rated nearly 150,000 more times. 67% of readers have awarded Oathbringer a perfect 5-stars, while 1/4 of readers gave it a slightly-less-than-perfect 4-stars. 2-star and 1-star ratings make up less than 2% total percent of its Goodreads numbers. Only 5% of users reported a so-so experience with the novel. And as the next two entries on this list make clear, Oathbringer has to live up to the high bar set for it by the first two Stormlight Archive novels. The fact that 67% of readers would say it totally did, while less than half that share felt the book dropped off compared to its predecessors, that is all saying something about the quality of Oathbringer. 2 The Way Of Kings Stormlight Archive Book 1; 4.66 Star Average For perspective, the highest rated fantasy novel on Goodreads with over one million ratings sits at a 4.63-star average. Drop the threshold down to 500k, and it is a different ballgame. A ballgame dominated by Brandon Sanderson. The first Stormlight Archive novel, The Way of Kings, has been rated nearly 750,000 times, and has maintained an intimidating 4.66-star average in the process. A 73% majority of users have given it 5-stars. 20% give it 4-stars. Those are heavyweight statistics. And it also speaks to the fact that Mistborn and Stormlight Archive are still finding their audiences. Almost exactly as many people as have read and rated The Way of Kings have it on their Goodreads "to read" lists. Which means it should join the "one million" club at some point in the next few years. Especially when, not if, Sanderson's work finally makes the jump to the screen. His novels are in the position now that George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire were before Game of Thrones debuted on HBO in 2010. Ready to explode into the mainstream once the right adaptation hits. 1 Words Of Radiance Stormlight Archive Book 2; 4.76 Star Average The second Stormlight Archive novel, Words of Radiance, is another juggernaut. Its 4.76-star rating is one of the most impeccable on Goodreads in any genre. As of now, though, it has barely cracked the 500,000 rating mark. So the question is whether its 79% share of 5-star ratings will drop, the more Goodreads users get around to it. With 17% 4-stars, Words of Radiance is about as close to universally praised as it gets on the platform. There are 3050 1-star and 2-star ratings total, get for sub-2% of the book's overall score. Especially for a sequel, that is simply incredible. Most second books in a series tend to see a drop in total of ratings and star average. The first is true for Stormlight Archive, but not the second. Instead, there is a full 0.10 point spike. For most readers, the novel delivered on every promise made by its predecessor, and then some, and for now it has a solid lead as the greatest Brandon Sanderson novel according to the Goodreads numbers. The Stormlight Archive Created by Brandon Sanderson Character(s) Kaladin Stormblessed, Shallan Davar, Dalinar Kholin, Adolin Kholin, Jasnah Kholin, Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Navani Kholin The Stormlight Archive is an epic fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson, set on the storm-ravaged world of Roshar. The series follows multiple characters, each with their unique storylines, as they navigate political intrigue, ancient prophecies, and powerful magic. Central to the story are the Knights Radiant, legendary warriors with magical abilities who must return to save their world from impending destruction. The series explores themes of honor, leadership, and the burden of power. Created by Brandon Sanderson Character(s) Vin, Kelsier, Sazed, Marsh, Elend Venture, Waxillium "Wax" Ladrian, Wayne, Steris Harms The Mistborn series, created by Brandon Sanderson, is a high-fantasy saga set in the world of Scadrial, where magic is powered by metals through a system called Allomancy. The series focuses on political intrigue, heists, and the battle between good and evil. The first trilogy, Mistborn: The Final Empire, follows the struggle to overthrow a tyrannical ruler, the Lord Ruler. Later books in the series, including Era 2, take place hundreds of years after the events of the original trilogy, expanding the story into new settings with new characters, all while maintaining connections to the original storyline. Books: Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006) Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (2007) Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (2008) Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (2011) Mistborn: Shadows of Self (2015) Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning (2016) Mistborn: The Lost Metal (2022)