Brandon Sanderson
Life Events
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
19 December 1975 | Birth | Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Brandon Sanderson is one of the most prolific authors in modern fantasy, having published over 70 books and short stories. He was chosen to complete The Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan's death, and continues to expand his interconnected Cosmere universe. |
2006 | Award Nominated | John W. Campbell Award (Astounding Award) Best new writer, finalist |
2007 | Award Nominated | John W. Campbell Award (Astounding Award) Best new writer, finalist |
Birth19 December 1975
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Brandon Sanderson is one of the most prolific authors in modern fantasy, having published over 70 books and short stories. He was chosen to complete The Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan's death, and continues to expand his interconnected Cosmere universe.
Award Nominated2006
John W. Campbell Award (Astounding Award)
Best new writer, finalist
Award Nominated2007
John W. Campbell Award (Astounding Award)
Best new writer, finalist
Reading Orders
Universes (2)
The Cosmere
3 series by this author
The Cosmere is a fictional shared universe where many of Brandon Sanderson's books take place. As a result, books set in the Cosmere share a single cosmology and underlying rules of magic, and some characters from one world will make appearances on other worlds. Despite the connections, Brandon has remained clear that one does not need any knowledge of the broader Cosmere to read, understand, or enjoy books that take place in the Cosmere. The core sequence of the Cosmere will consist of the Dragonsteel series, the Elantris trilogy, at least four eras of the Mistborn series, and The Stormlight Archive. The story of the cosmere does not include any books that reference Earth, as Earth is not in the Cosmere. The shared "creation myth" of the Cosmere revolves around Adonalsium, the power of creation, which was broken into sixteen pieces called Shards in an event known as the Shattering of Adonalsium. The Shards are effectively gods, and magic is derived from their power.
The Wheel of Time
1 series by this author
Series (4)
Mistborn Era 1
The Cosmere
The original Mistborn trilogy introduces readers to a world of ash and mist, where a seemingly immortal tyrant has ruled for a thousand years and the skaa live as slaves beneath noble oppression. This is where Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere begins for many readers - a complete, self-contained story that showcases his signature magic systems and intricate plotting. Allomancy, the magic of burning metals for supernatural powers, drives both the action and the mysteries at the heart of these books. Follow Vin, a street urchin who discovers she's Mistborn - capable of using all Allomantic metals - as she's recruited into a crew planning the ultimate heist: overthrowing the Lord Ruler himself.
Mistborn Era 2 (Wax and Wayne)
The Cosmere
Three hundred years after the events of the original Mistborn trilogy, the world has industrialised. Elendel is a city of railways, electric lights, and political corruption, where the heroes of the old age have hardened into religion and legend and the houses that rule the basin have largely forgotten what their world cost. Waxillium Ladrian spent twenty years as a lawman in the Roughs before being dragged back to the city to save his house from bankruptcy. He brings his irreverent partner Wayne, a talent for violence, and a set of Allomantic and Feruchemical abilities that make him uniquely suited to the conspiracies he keeps stumbling into. The four books blend the epic fantasy foundation of the original trilogy with detective noir and a genuinely funny double act at their centre.
Books (24)
Elantris
2005
Ten years ago, the city of Elantris was the seat of immortal beings whose magic could heal, feed, and transform. Then the Shaod - the blessing that turned ordinary people into radiant Elantrians - became a curse. Now the city's inhabitants are trapped in decaying bodies that neither heal nor die, and the once-glorious capital is a ruin sealed behind high walls. Prince Raoden of Arelon is taken by the Shaod and thrown into Elantris, where he refuses to surrender to despair. Outside the walls, Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a political marriage only to discover her betrothed is officially dead - and that the kingdom is far more fragile than anyone admits. Meanwhile, the high priest Hrathen has been given ninety days to convert Arelon to the Fjordell empire's religion, or the empire will destroy it by force. Brandon Sanderson's debut novel, a standalone epic fantasy driven by three converging viewpoints and a mystery at the heart of a broken magic system.
The Final Empire
Mistborn Era 1
2006
The first novel in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, set in a world where ash falls from the sky, the sun is red, and the seemingly immortal Lord Ruler has reigned for a thousand years. Among the oppressed skaa, a half-breed street urchin named Vin discovers she possesses Allomancy - the ability to burn metals for extraordinary powers. Recruited by the charismatic Kelsier, the only man to survive the Lord Ruler's most brutal prison, Vin joins an audacious crew of Allomancers planning the ultimate heist: the overthrow of the Final Empire itself. What begins as an elaborate confidence game becomes something far more dangerous as Vin infiltrates the nobility, uncovers ancient secrets, and learns that the legends surrounding the Lord Ruler may not be what they seem. A masterful blend of heist fiction, epic fantasy, and a meticulously crafted magic system.
