Brandon Sanderson’sCosmereseries is one of the most expansive the author has produced, encompassing a collection of books that can be enjoyed in pretty much any way you want.
Some authors prefer to create a universe likeThe Cosmerethat spans dozens of books, and must be read in a specific order. Brandon Sanderson moves away from this somewhat, because his series can be read in multiple orders, and the best one, according to fans, isn’t the order in which they were released. This vibrant collection offantasy booksis perfect for anyone hoping to pick up a meaty franchise they can lose themselves in, and I’ve got the definitive reading orders all worked out for you.
The definitiveCosmerereading order
Below is the definitiveCosmerereading order. It includes multiple sets within the series, includingThe Mistborn TrilogyandThe Stormlight Archive. I thought it would get a little complicated laying all that out for newcomers, so this is the order you should read the books in, by book name only.
I completely understand that this is a lot of books, and the list looks pretty daunting. However, each book and mini-series within this reading order works individually, so you don’t necessarily have to read them in this order, if you may’t buy them all at once or have one or two from the list available right now.
The chronologicalCosmerereading order
Fans on theBrandon Sanderson subreddithave constructed a slightly different reading order for theCosmereseries. It’s an order that follows the universe in chronological order. This is best for those re-reading the series, because you’ll know the story already and can better see how this order makes the books fit together with smaller gaps in time, so you can keep up the momentum.
For reference,Arcanum Unboundedis a collection ofCosmereshort stories, but they fit within the wider series as they’ve been listed above.
What isThe Cosmere?
The Cosmereis the fictional universe where author Brandon Sanderson has set many of his fantasy novels. It’s a shared universe, where characters from one book or series can world-hop and appear in the background of another. Readers will notice this as they read, especially if they read in the definitive order outlined above. A good way to tell if a book is not part ofThe Cosmereis if it features Earth,because our planet is very muchnotin it.
The heart ofThe Cosmereis its concept of magic, and the idea and theory behind magic are the same for all these interconnected worlds. An event called the Shattering of Adonalsium split the Adonalsium into 16 shards, each of which is a god. Magic inThe Cosmerecomes from the powers of these gods. Each book dives deeper into the concept of magic inThe Cosmere, so I recommend you read through them to get a better idea of what this shared universe is about.
