Brandon Sanderson Books in Order: Complete Book & Series List

A while back, I put together a Cosmere reading order, and it ended up becoming one of the most popular articles on this site. Since then, Sanderson’s backlog has only gotten bigger, and I keep seeing the same question pop up from new and longtime readers alike: “Okay, but what about everything else?”

Because the Cosmere is only one piece of what he’s written. This guide is the full map, covering the Cosmere and the non-Cosmere books too, including series like The Reckoners, the Cytoverse, Riftwake, and The Strata Wars, plus standalones like The Rithmatist. So let’s dive into the complete list of Brandon Sanderson books in order.

Jump to:

• Where to Start with Brandon Sanderson
• Brandon Sanderson Books in Publication Order
• Brandon Sanderson Books by Series
• Standalone Books & Other Works

Where to Start with Brandon Sanderson Books

For most readers, Mistborn: The Final Empire is the best place to start. On his official “Where do I start?” guide, Brandon Sanderson recommends Mistborn: The Final Empire or The Way of Kings for fantasy readers, with Steelheart, Elantris, Warbreaker, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians as alternative starting points depending on taste.

Brandon Sanderson Books in Publication Order

Brandon Sanderson has written across fantasy, science fiction, YA, graphic novels, novellas, audio originals, collaborations, and short fiction. This master list keeps the major book-length releases and collections together in publication order before we break everything out by series below.

I’m not listing every individual short story as its own entry here. Those shorter works are included in their relevant series or other-work sections later in the guide, while collections like Arcanum Unbounded and Tailored Realities stay in the master list.

1. Elantris (2005)
2. The Final Empire (2006)
3. The Well of Ascension (2007)
4. Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians (2007)
5. The Hero of Ages (2008)
6. The Scrivener’s Bones (2008)
7. Warbreaker (2009)
8. The Gathering Storm (2009) (with Robert Jordan)
9. The Knights of Crystallia (2009)
10. The Way of Kings (2010)
11. Towers of Midnight (2010) (with Robert Jordan)
12. The Shattered Lens (2010)
13. The Alloy of Law (2011)
14. Infinity Blade: Awakening (2011) (Novella)
15. Legion (2012) (Novella)
16. The Emperor’s Soul (2012) (Novella)
17. A Memory of Light (2013) (with Robert Jordan)
18. The Rithmatist (2013)
19. Infinity Blade: Redemption (2013) (Novella)
20. Steelheart (2013)
21. Words of Radiance (2014)
22. Legion: Skin Deep (2014) (Novella)
23. Sixth of the Dusk (2014) (Novella)
24. Firefight (2015)
25. Perfect State (2015) (Novella)
26. Shadows of Self (2015)
27. The Bands of Mourning (2016)
28. Calamity (2016)
29. White Sand, Vol. 1 (2016) (Graphic Novel)
30. The Dark Talent (2016)
31. Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection (2016) (Collection)
32. Edgedancer (2016) (Novella)
33. Snapshot (2017) (Novella)
34. Oathbringer (2017)
35. White Sand, Vol. 2 (2018) (Graphic Novel)
36. Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds (2018) (Collection)
37. Skyward (2018)
38. Children of the Nameless (2018) (Novella)
39. White Sand, Vol. 3 (2019) (Graphic Novel)
40. Starsight (2019)
41. The Original (2020) (Audio Novel; with Mary Robinette Kowal)
42. The Way of Kings Prime (2020) (Sanderson Curiosity; non-canon novel)
43. Dawnshard (2020) (Novella)
44. Rhythm of War (2020)
45. Dark One, Book 1 (2021) (Graphic Novel)
46. Lux (2021) (Audio Novel; with Steven Michael Bohls)
47. Sunreach (2021) (Novella; with Janci Patterson)
48. ReDawn (2021) (Novella; with Janci Patterson)
49. Cytonic (2021)
50. Evershore (2021) (Novella; with Janci Patterson)
51. Skyward Flight: The Collection (2022) (Collection; with Janci Patterson)
52. Bastille vs. The Evil Librarians (2022)
53. White Sand Omnibus (2022) (Graphic Novel Collection)
54. Stephen Leeds: Death & Faxes (2022) (Audio Novel)
55. The Lost Metal (2022)
56. Dark One: Forgotten (2023) (Audio Novella; with Dan Wells)
57. Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023)
58. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (2023)
59. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (2023)
60. The Sunlit Man (2023)
61. Defiant (2023)
62. The Most Boring Book Ever (2024) (Children’s Book)
63. Dragonsteel Prime (2024) (Sanderson Curiosity; non-canon novel)
64. Wind and Truth (2024)
65. Isles of the Emberdark (2025)
66. Tailored Realities (2025) (Short Story Collection)
67. Songs of the Dead (2026) (with Peter Orullian)
68. Blightfall (2026) (Riftwake Book 1; with Janci Patterson)
69. The Fires of December (2026) (Hoid’s Travails)

Brandon Sanderson Books by Series

The easiest way to navigate Brandon Sanderson’s catalog is by the individual series. Many of the fantasy series below are part of the Cosmere, but if you want the best order to move between those connected worlds, see my complete Cosmere reading order guide.

Elantris & Sel

1. Elantris
   The Hope of Elantris (Short Story)
   The Emperor’s Soul (Novella)

Mistborn

1. The Final Empire
2. The Well of Ascension
3. The Hero of Ages
4. The Alloy of Law
   The Eleventh Metal (Short Story)
   Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (Short Story)
5. Shadows of Self
6. The Bands of Mourning
   Mistborn: Secret History (Novella)
7. The Lost Metal
8. Ghostbloods (TBA)

The Stormlight Archive

1. The Way of Kings
2. Words of Radiance
   Edgedancer (Novella)
   Elsecaller (Short Story; with Dan Wells)
   King Lopen: The First of Alethkar (Short Story; with Isaac Stewart)
3. Oathbringer
   Dawnshard (Novella)
4. Rhythm of War
5. Wind and Truth

Additional standalone Stormlight story: The ChasmFriends Get A Pet! (2024) — Short Story, with Dan Wells. This is a non-canon StoryDeck story, later adapted as an illustrated storybook.

White Sand (Taldain) – Graphic Novels

1. White Sand, Vol. 1
2. White Sand, Vol. 2
3. White Sand, Vol. 3
   White Sand Omnibus

Hoid’s Travails and Secret Projects

This section includes Sanderson’s Secret Project novels connected to Hoid’s Travails. The Fires of December is part of Hoid’s Travails, the same loose grouping as Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter.

1. Tress of the Emerald Sea
2. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
3. The Fires of December (Hoid’s Travails) (2026)
4. The Sunlit Man
5. Isles of the Emberdark

It’s worth mentioning that the Cosmere is not complete. Not anywhere close to it.

There will be a total of 10 Stormlight Archive books and several more Mistborn books to come, plus anything else he writes over the next 15 years it will likely take to finish the Cosmere.

Cytoverse

The Cytoverse is one of Brandon Sanderson’s major non-Cosmere projects and a separate corner of his bibliography. It’s a YA science fiction series set in a future where humanity is trapped on a distant world and fighting to survive under constant attack from alien forces.

Below, you’ll find the currently available and upcoming Cytoverse books in order. Publication order is the best place to start for most new readers.

Cytoverse Books in Publication Order

1. Defending Elysium (2008) (Novelette)
2. Skyward (2018)
3. Starsight (2019)
4. Sunreach (2021) (Novella; with Janci Patterson)
5. ReDawn (2021) (Novella; with Janci Patterson)
6. Cytonic (2021)
7. Evershore (2021) (Novella; with Janci Patterson)
8. Hyperthief (2023) (Short Story; with Janci Patterson)
9. Defiant (2023)

Collected edition: Skyward Flight: The Collection (2022) collects Sunreach, ReDawn, and Evershore.

Cytoverse Books in Chronological Order

1. Defending Elysium (Novelette)
2. Skyward
3. Starsight
4. Sunreach (Novella)
5. ReDawn (Novella)
6. Cytonic
7. Evershore (Novella) (Takes place at the same time as Cytonic)
8. Hyperthief (Short Story; with Janci Patterson)
9. Defiant (2023)

Hyperthief takes place after Evershore and before Defiant.

The only noticeable difference here is that Defending Elysium is before Skyward. It’s several hundred years in the past, and would not make a very good introduction to the series, so it’s only recommended for those doing a reread and wanting to spice things up a bit.

Cytonic and Evershore Reading Order

It’s also worth mentioning that Evershore technically takes place at the same time as Cytonic, but I’d still recommend reading it after.

Others disagree.

I’ve seen some very strong opinions for reading Evershore first. The problem is that both Evershore and Cytonic end in the same place. So by reading Cytonic first, you in a sense ruin the ending of Evershore. But the same could be said the other way around, and I’d rather not spoil the full length novel.

After all, Janci Patterson wrote the Skyward Flight novellas with some oversight by Brandon Sanderson, while Brandon himself wrote the main novels.

If you absolutely must do a Cytonic and Evershore Tandem Read, read everything in Cytonic except the Epilogue, then read Evershore in its entirety, then go back and finish Cytonic’s epilogue.

Riftwake Books

Riftwake is a Skyward follow-up series by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson. It continues the broader Cytoverse after the main Skyward books, so I’d treat it as a later read rather than a starting point.

1. Blightfall (Riftwake Book 1) (2026)

The Reckoners Series

The Reckoners is one of my favorite Brandon Sanderson series. If you enjoy YA super hero tales, then this is for you. I recommend listening to the audiobooks as they’re phenomenal.

Main Series

1. Steelheart
   Mitosis (Short Story)
2. Firefight
3. Calamity

Texas Reckoners

1. Lux (Audio Novel; with Steven Michael Bohls)

Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians

This is a Middle Grade series and may not be to the liking of the majority of Sanderson fans that are used to his Cosmere books.

1. Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians
2. The Scrivener’s Bones
3. The Knights of Crystallia
4. The Shattered Lens
5. The Dark Talent
6. Bastille vs. The Evil Librarians

Legion (Stephen Leeds)

1. Legion (2012) (Novella)
2. Legion: Skin Deep (2014) (Novella)
3. Legion: Lies of the Beholder (2018) (Novella)
4. Stephen Leeds: Death & Faxes (2022) (Audio Novel; with Max Epstein, David Pace, and Michael Harkins)

Collected edition: Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds collects the first three Legion stories.

The Wheel of Time

Brandon Sanderson only wrote the last three novels in the Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan’s untimely passing before the completion of the series.

You’ll need to have read the previous books to enjoy these, but a list of Brandon Sanderson books in order would not be complete without mentioning them.

• The Gathering Storm
• Towers of Midnight
• A Memory of Light
• River of Souls (2013) — Deleted sequence from A Memory of Light, published in Unfettered
• A Fire Within the Ways (2019) — Non-canon deleted sequence from A Memory of Light, published in Unfettered III

Infinity Blade

Infinity Blade is a set of novellas that Brandon Sanderson wrote in conjunction with the iOS game of the same name that peaked in popularity around 2011-2012.

To best enjoy the novellas, play the games (if they still exist, and that’s a big *if*) in this order:

1. Infinity Blade (Game 1)
2. Infinity Blade: Awakening (Novella 1)
3. Infinity Blade II (Game 2)
4. Infinity Blade: Redemption (Novella 2)
5. Infinity Blade III (Game 3)

Dark One

1. Dark One, Book 1 (Graphic Novel)
2. Dark One: Forgotten (Audio Novella; prequel; with Dan Wells)

The Strata Wars

The Strata Wars is a contemporary fantasy trilogy from Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian. Sanderson co-wrote the first book, while Orullian is expected to continue the remaining books in the series.

1. Songs of the Dead with Peter Orullian (The Strata Wars Book 1) (2026)

Brandon Sanderson Standalone Books & Other Works

Standalones, Audio Originals, and Collaborations

Brandon Sanderson has written several standalone works outside his larger series.

1. Warbreaker
2. Sixth of the Dusk (Novella)
3. Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell (Novella)
4. The Rithmatist
5. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England
6. The Original with Mary Robinette Kowal

Cosmere collection: Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection (2016) collects much of Sanderson’s shorter Cosmere fiction in one volume.

Children’s Books

1. The Most Boring Book Ever

Sanderson Curiosities & Early Work

These are published or officially released early works and draft-era curiosities. They are included for completeness, but the Prime novels are not canon versions of the later books.

• Centrifugal (1994) — Early Short Story
• The Way of Kings Prime (2020) — Sanderson Curiosity; non-canon novel
• Long Chills & Case Dough (2023) — Novelette; Sanderson Curiosity
• Dragonsteel Prime (2024) — Sanderson Curiosity; non-canon novel

Other

The stories in this list of Brandon Sanderson books in order cover everything else he’s written. They’re mostly short stories or short story collections.

• Firstborn (2008) (Short Story)
• I Hate Dragons (2011) (Short Story; collected in Tailored Realities) — extended version
• H.A.R.R.E.: Heuristic Algorithm and Reasoning Response Engine (2012) (Short Story; with Ethan Skarstedt; published in Armored)
• Dreamer (2014) (Short Story)
• Perfect State (2015) (Novella)
• Snapshot (2017) (Novella)
• Children of the Nameless (2018) (Magic: The Gathering Novella)
• Brain Dump (2025) (Short Story; first published in Tailored Realities)
• Probability Approaching Zero (2025) (Flash Fiction; first published in Tailored Realities)
• Moment Zero (2025) (Novella; first published in Tailored Realities)
• Tailored Realities (2025) (Short Story Collection)

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more fantasy authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Fantasy Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• 2 Ways to Read Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
• 2 Ways to Read Joe Abercrombie Books in Order
• Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb Books in Order