Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere Explained for Beginners

Brandon Sanderson is not just an author; he is a publishing machine. He famously wrote four secret novels during a single year just for fun, launching the biggest Kickstarter in history.

But for new readers, his bibliography is terrifying. Most of his adult fantasy books take place in a shared universe called the "Cosmere." Characters cross over, magic systems overlap, and there are hidden secrets in every book. So, where on earth do you start?

Here is the simple, stress-free guide.

The Way of Kings is a masterpiece, but it is a massive, incredibly dense 1,000-page commitment. Save it for later.

If you don't even want to commit to a trilogy, read Warbreaker or Elantris. They are standalone novels that give you a great taste of his world-building without needing a spreadsheet to track the characters.

Because Sanderson publishes so frequently—and often drops surprise announcements out of nowhere—following his release schedule is a full-time job. Just add him to your Bleepia dashboard. Whether it is a surprise Kickstarter or the next massive Stormlight book, we will email you the day it goes live.