How To Read Brandon Sanderson's Entire Cosmere In Order

Published Sep 1, 2026, 1:01 PM EDT Hannah is a senior writer and self-publisher at ScreenRant. There, she focuses on writing news, features, and list-style articles about all things comics, books, anime, and manga. She works as a freelance writer in the entertainment industry, focusing on video games, anime, and literature. Her published works can be found on Screen Rant, FinanceBuzz, She Reads, and She Writes. Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere is less a single series than a connected collection of fantasy worlds, magic systems, characters, and civilizations. Mistborn, Elantris, Warbreaker, and The Stormlight Archive each tell their own stories, yet Sanderson has confirmed that they share a larger universe. That makes reading order increasingly important once the books begin trading characters, ideas, and lore. There is not one universally mandatory sequence, because Sanderson himself says readers may begin with several different Cosmere books and still enjoy them independently. The order below is best treated as a spoiler-conscious reading path rather than a perfectly literal timeline. It follows the sequence requested here while placing the short fiction where its connections are most useful. Start With Mistborn, Then Build The Cosmere's Foundations Begin with The Final Empire, followed by The Eleventh Metal, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages. The first trilogy introduces Allomancy, the original Mistborn era, and the planet Scadrial. The Eleventh Metal is a short companion story collected in Arcanum Unbounded, so reading it between the first and second novels keeps the early Mistborn material together. Next, move to Elantris, Sanderson's first published novel, and then The Hope of Elantris. Follow that with The Emperor's Soul, the Hugo Award-winning novella set in the same broader world, before reading White Sand, the three-volume graphic novel series set on Taldain. Together, these stories expand the Cosmere beyond Scadrial and introduce several distinct approaches to magic. After White Sand, read The Way of Kings, the opening Stormlight Archive novel, and then Warbreaker. This pairing is especially useful because Stormlight introduces Roshar's enormous political and magical conflicts, while Warbreaker offers a completely different setting and power system. Sanderson has also singled out Warbreaker as one of his recommended starting points for new readers. The next stop is Words of Radiance, The Stormlight Archive's second novel. At this point, the Cosmere starts feeling less like a collection of separate series and more like a deliberately linked universe. Words of Radiance builds directly on The Way of Kings, so preserving the series order matters more here than chasing a perfectly literal chronology between worlds. Where To Start: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) The Eleventh Metal (novella) The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) Elantris The Hope of Elantris (novella) The Emperor's Soul (novella) White Sand, Volumes 1-3 The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) Warbreaker Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) Use The Novellas To Fill In Stormlight's Gaps Custom image by Yeider Chacon & original cover art for The Way of Kings and Wind and Truth by Michael Whelan Before continuing deeper into Stormlight, read Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, a standalone novella set on Threnody. It appears in Arcanum Unbounded, which collects nine pieces of Cosmere short fiction, including The Hope of Elantris, The Eleventh Metal, The Emperor's Soul, Sixth of the Dusk, and Mistborn: Secret History. Then read Edgedancer before Oathbringer. This Stormlight novella follows Lift after Words of Radiance and adds character and worldbuilding material that makes the third main novel more rewarding. Arcanum Unbounded also contains Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, a deliberately light companion story, along with Mistborn: Secret History, which belongs much later in this reading path. Oathbringer continues the Stormlight Archive with a much broader focus on Dalinar, Roshar's history, and the growing threat facing its people. After that enormous novel, read Sixth of the Dusk and then Dawnshard. Sixth of the Dusk widens the Cosmere's horizons, while Dawnshard returns to Roshar and fits between Oathbringer and Rhythm of War. Finish this Stormlight stretch with Rhythm of War, the fourth main Stormlight Archive novel. Dawnshard is particularly valuable beforehand because its exploration of Rosharan technology and other Cosmere concepts becomes more relevant later. Once Rhythm of War is complete, the recommended path shifts back to Scadrial and the second Mistborn era, where the setting has changed dramatically. Finish Mistborn Era 2, Then Enter The Far-Future Cosmere Custom image by Yailin Chacon Read The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, The Bands of Mourning, and finally The Lost Metal in that order. These four books form Mistborn Era 2, also known as the Wax and Wayne sequence, and take place centuries after the original trilogy. Guns, trains, industrial expansion, and magical technology give Scadrial a dramatically different atmosphere while continuing threads established in Era 1. After Shadows of Self, read Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania if you have not already encountered it elsewhere. Then continue with The Bands of Mourning, followed by Mistborn: Secret History. Saving Secret History until this point preserves several of its most important revelations. It also works better once the reader has a strong understanding of Scadrial's history and characters. After The Lost Metal, move through the secret-project novels with Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. Tress of the Emerald Sea assumes a greater awareness of Cosmere lore than the early books, while Yumi and the Nightmare Painter explores another unusual world and The Sunlit Man pushes the setting far into the future. They become more rewarding after the larger universe is familiar. One important update is necessary for an “entire Cosmere” guide in 2026: the supplied list from Brandon Sanderson's official website stops before Wind and Truth and Isles of the Emberdark. Wind and Truth is Book 5 of The Stormlight Archive and concludes the series' first arc, while Isles of the Emberdark expands the story and characters introduced in Sixth of the Dusk into a full-length novel. Current Full Reading Order: The Final Empire The Eleventh Metal The Well of Ascension The Hero of Ages Elantris The Hope of Elantris The Emperor's Soul White Sand, Volumes 1-3 The Way of Kings Warbreaker Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell Words of Radiance Edgedancer Oathbringer Sixth of the Dusk Dawnshard Rhythm of War The Alloy of Law Shadows of Self Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania The Bands of Mourning Mistborn: Secret History The Lost Metal Tress of the Emerald Sea Yumi and the Nightmare Painter The Sunlit Man Wind and Truth Isles of the Emberdark This is best understood as a spoiler-conscious reading path rather than an infallible master timeline. Sanderson has intentionally left some Cosmere chronology flexible, while confirming that the stories share a common cosmology and recurring connections. The real appeal is watching those links become clearer over time, then returning to earlier books and realizing how many details were quietly setting up the much larger story. The Cosmere Created by Brandon Sanderson Character(s) Kaladin Stormblessed, Vin, Kelsier, Shallan Davar, Dalinar Kholin, Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Lift, Waxillium "Wax" Ladrian, Wayne, Jasnah Kholin