I would definitely recommend starting with Mistborn era 1 and Warbreaker. I read Stormlight before Mistborn and I think my expectations were so high from Stormlight that I didn’t love Mistborn like so many fans do.
The same happened to me. I was so high in Way of Kings that Mistborn just felt very underwhelming. I plan on rereading the trilogy now, 10 years after the first round, and hopefully I will appreciate it more this time with the right expectations.
I really loved both series, even after beginning with Stormlight. I wasn't as immediately struck by Mistborn as I was after reading the opening action sequence in the Way of Kings. Good lord that was mesmerising. But the characters were very quickly established as deeply as any in SA, and I loved the heist vibes (shit's like caper films badass) from the first book. They feel very different, so I guess it's just a matter of waiting for the next SA to drop to sate that hunger!
Maybe if I started reading Mistborn in my teenage years it would be better, but sadly it's a little bit too YA for me to enjoy it fully like I did Stormlight.
Way of Kings took me so long to read through, honestly Mistborn was a relief as I read through it pretty fast comparatively. I enjoyed both, but probably Mistborn more. I will reread Way of Kings because I don't really remember what happened in it anymore.
Damn, I'm scared I'll feel the same way. I'm currently in the middle of Rhythm of War, and I think Stormlight has become my favorite epic fantasy series of all time. Hopefully I can enjoy Mistborn as much as everyone else despite this.
I’ve recently started reading a lot the past few months. I used to never read unless for work. Now it’s all I want to do. You and captured in words got me to start Mistborn. The first series I’ve read since LOTR when I was in middle school.
I’m blessed that I have all this info before going in! I decided to read it like: Elantris-Emperor’s soul-mistborn era 1- Warbreaker-Stormlight archive. Don’t know where I’m going to put mistborn era 2 in, when I feel like it I think. But I loved it this way so far, I knew Elantris was his first work en not the best, but loved it anyway, and Emperor’s soul was amazing for such few pages and now it can probably only get better from what I hear ❤️, starting mistborn soon!
Enjoy. I think you are reading in the perfect order because he gets better as he goes. I would read Mistborn Era 2 while you are waiting for him to publish the next Stormlight book. Era 2 is my least favorite but I liked the books better as the series progressed. I’m excited for The Lost Metal and I hope that Era 3 will be better because as I understand it the later Mistborn novels are supposed to pull the whole Cosmere together.
I had been debating between Mistborn and Stormlight for a while. I personally wanted to read Stormlight but it seemed like everyone recommended Mistborn to get my feet wet. I went with Stormlight and have no regrets, yeah maybe I won't appreciate the Cosmere as much but I wanted to go with the best he had to offer and it didn't disappoint, its definitely an all time great series for me, probably top 3 and its not even finished. I'd recommend people just go with they want to read first even if public opinion seems to push heavily in the way of Mistborn as the ideal starting point.
Did I start Cosmere ten years ago? Yes. Am I still here cos it's a Cosmere video? Also yes. I started with Mistborn Era 1 and then went in publication order. I think Warbreaker is a good start if you don't wanna risk a series first.
I went the complete opposite way but it worked like a charm imo I started with mistborn and found out it was within a verse so after I finished era one I hopped straight into Sa which was wild cuz it was one of my first high fantasy political type book series and it got me to read game of thrones as well which was a nice add on and now I’m currently reading Elantris which I also like
I started with The Way of Kings, it seriously took me 2 years to read through that. I read slower back then. Since then I have read the first 2 novels of Mistborn and I just started Elantris the other day. Then I will go back to Mistborn 3 or maybe I'll do Warbreaker, I'm an ADHD reader if you couldn't tell.
Mistborn era 1 or Warbreaker are probably the best places to start. However, Skyward is also a nice series to start with if you want to go outside of the Cosmere
I'm in the minority of people who really likes Elantris and is only so-so on Warbreaker. I started with these and then moved onto Mistborn. Glad that I had read Warbreaker before I read Stormlight...but I agree that it is not necessary.
They’re reprinting his middle grade series now as well. It’s called Alcatraz vs The Evil Librarians. It’s not Cosmere but I think it would be great for anyone with kids or anyone who enjoys middle grade. So far I’ve only read Warbreaker, and I loved it!
I was kind of insane and started with the Stormlight Archive because I heard a buddy of mine raving about how The Way of Kings was the greatest fantasy book ever written and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It hooked me right away, and I've since read most of the other Cosmere books including the short stories. As much as I love Stormlight, I'd have to say my favorite series of his is Mistborn, era 1 in particular. Sure it's an earlier series of his, so it's a little rough around the edges, especially noticeable (probably moreso coming off of Stormlight where he's at his height) in the dialogue and some of the prose, but it's part of the charm to me.
Same here. While I consider TWoK and WoR to be the best novels I have ever read, Mistborn 1 (The Final Empire) is still my favorite to reread and Vin and Kelsier are still my favorite characters.
I checked out Brandon Sanderson’s website when the ability to get Warbreaker seemed questionable. It is available as an ebook and less as a physical book. It turns out that Sanderson made it completely available FREE on his site. Thanks for the recommendation Mike! That’s one that I haven’t read.
That's how I discovered him back around 2007. I was bored, broke, out of work and in need of free reading materiel. Someone on a forum told me to go read Warbreaker on some guy named Brandon Sanderson's website. Been hooked ever since. Just a note to anyone wanting to do the same, last time I read it there, a couple of the chapter links were broken and went to the wrong chapter. Just pay attention to the chapter number in the web address bar and change manually if you need to.
Personally I started with Stormlight. If I were to do it again, I’d do Mistborn era 1 and Warbreaker first, just I’m order to understand all the Easter eggs, but rereading SA after reading the other stuff is still amazing. For some reason I haven’t gotten ti reading Elantris yet, but I’ll get there eventually.
I was not a big fan of era 2, but I think The Lost Metal is going to be epic. With the expanse of Scadrial w the discovery of more lands in the south, I have confidence in Brandon to close the era out in high fashion.
Stormlight archive was my entry point and it became my favorite series, after that I picked up warbreaker and got kinda disappointed because I expected stormlight level story but I still enjoyed some of it, currently reading mistborn(on book2) I had such a high expectations from reading stormlight, and though mistborn is fine it doesn't stand a chance against stormlight. The beauty about the cosmere is that even when you don't care that much for the book the connections make you want to keep going.
I was reading Elantris for the first time when Robert Jordan died, then a few months later got the news that Brandon Sanderson would be finishing the series and I was very happy about that since I had moved on to the first Mistborn and thought that was awesome. I thought Elantris was a good starting point too, but at that time and that age I had simpler tastes and there weren't quite as many hard magic systems around. If I'd read Elantris last instead of first, maybe I'd have a different opinion, but I'm still fond of it. Haven't re-read it since like 2014 though.
The appropriate reading order for 90%+ of authors is publication order, so Elantris is the default starting point if your goal is to read all of Sanderson's Cosmere books.
This year i already read 5 cosmere books.. I started with Mistborn era 1 (secret history included), then i read warbreaker.. Now im just at chapter 32 of The Way of kings starting stormlight archives. Amazing journey ive been having so far.
I think Brandon Sanderson is adult, in a subtle way. I'm reading Mistborn Era 2 right now, and someone makes a sequel gesture to Marasi, which could go over a young readers head, or being tame enough but shows how living in the slums can be. I loved Elantris, I wanted more from that world, even a prequel about the Elantrian magic system. Warbreaker will be after Era 2, them stormlight!
Mistborn was where I started . Ive completed the first two books of the stormlight archive and really enjoyed them! SA is my fav so far! Hope i enjoy oathbringer too and how you say theres still a lot of Roshar to be discovered even after words of radiance! Just when i thought I’ve maybe be gotten to the edge of the map…
After watching a lot of videos about where you should start with The Cosmere,back in 2020,I have decided to go with Elantris,and I'm glad for that because I ended up loving it.Definitely,he improved a lot in the following years as a writer. My reading order was:Elantris-Warbreaker-Mistborn Era l-Mistborn Era ll-Arcanum Unbounded(Mistborn: Secret History,The Hope of Elantris,The Eleventh Metal and The Emperor's Soul)-Stormlight Archive with Edgedancer between books two and three and Dawnshard before books three and four.
I think you're right to recommend Mistborn first. I read the first 2 or 3 Stormlight books before going to Mistborn and it took me to book 2 to really enjoy it because it was just so different. Meaning more YA. I love them now and really love era 2! All the Cosmere books are great, I loved them all for different reasons!
Saying there's a huge twist or "surprise heel turn" is a MASSIVE spoiler, because now when I read the book I'll spend the whole time looking for that. Thanks a ton.
I'm a little older than yourself Mike, and I have always had hefty TBR's, that along with an assumption that Brandon Saunderson may probably be a writer for a younger crowd, I've yet to read anything from him. He is prolific and has such an enormous following that I do have an interest in his works. I'll eventually read something by him though indeed, I've no idea what to read. So thanks for this video, gives me something to think about. Anyone who reads Saunderson and sees this comment, I'd appreciate further suggestions.
I’ve read the first Mistborn trilogy and Warbreaker so far. Out of those four books The Final Empire was definitely my favourite and was a bit underwhelmed by Warbreaker. Though The Final Empire is obviously the first of a trilogy I feel it could be read on its own and you could hop off then if it wasn’t for you.
Last year I read my very first Sanderson books-the Stormlight Archive and I bloody loved them. Planning on reading more of his books in the coming months
I liked the Mistborn trilogy well enough, but Stormlight Archive is excellent and truly epic in scope, a huge world that is very alien rather than another clone of medieval Europe we get so often. Give The Way of Kings a chance but be warned it essentially has 3 prologues, so it takes a while to really get going, but completely worth it.
I started out with Elantris. I haven't read a lot when I did and I loved it. I thought if this was his first book and he gets better and better each book, I was in for a treat. I still recommend that when asked.
I started with Mistborn Era 1 and burned through it. I went right to Way of Kings a couple weeks ago. Now I am having a break but will get to Warbreaker and Words of Radiance next.
I started with stormlight and i loved it, but if you want a taste of Brandon Sanderson please read Emperor's Soul, it is a SOO GOOOOOOOD and only has 100 pages
I bought The Emperor’s Soul for my wife, thinking this would be a good starting point for introducing her to what a great storyteller Sanderson is without overwhelming her with a bunch of thick multi-volume stories.
Emperor’s Soul has one of my favorite character developments of all time. So good! Got my Dad to interrupt his TBR to read it. Mistborn is also where I started. It’s great but I am enjoying it a lot, maybe even more on a reread because of his ingenious ability to leave hints and foreshadowing that you only realize after everything has been revealed. Also I have read his Stephen Leeds stuff, Skyward so far with all the novellas (some of the novellas are better than the main books) and The Rithmatist. All are very good!
I started with Elantris and I'm glad I did for some reason really liked that book more most seemed to. wasn't as good as mistborn era 1 I think but haven't continued passed those 4 yet😁
Just finished Oathbringer so I really appreciate this video. From all the reviews I've seen apparently some parts in Oathbringer went over my head because it had some characters from other Cosmere stories appearing. Before I get into Rhythm of War I'll be sure to properly prepare myself this time so I don't miss out on eventual crossover events again!
I did the same thing. Read Mistborn trilogy then right into Stormlight. Just finished Oathbringer and I knew I was missing some connections to other series. I’m reading the rest of the Cosmere books before I start Rhythm of War. About 1/2 through Elantris now.
My favorite standalone story from him would be Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. Highly recommend for anyone who just wants a taste of Sanderson's style.
White Sand can be dropped in anywhere, a world hopper does make an appearance. Sandersons YA stuff... well I read Rithmatist and its fantastic and my adult son read the reckoners series and loved that.
I got stormlight hardcover editions of books 1, 2, and 4 for dirt cheap but haven’t gotten any of mistborn yet. I’m tempted to start reading but been holding off. I read Elantris and absolutely loved that book.
Man this is so exciting. I want to read all of the Cosmere but there's so much on my TBR. Ima do an active effort of reading more / more quickly so that I can get to the Cosmere.
I started with mistborn. Finished the first 2 books. Loved them! I was advised not to go with stormlight first, and thank you for that! Although big books don't intimidate me. But I get why I shouldn't have just started with his best; everything else would have felt pale after that I guess. But! I couldn't hold on from starting SA and I jumped into the first book after mistborn 2 was finished. Might look foolish, but I think I will finish mistborn series 1 after the way of kings 😅😊
Personally, the book that got me excited to read more Cosmere novels was Warbreaker. The characters and their arcs just clicked with me a lot more than Mistborn which I read previously.
I need to reread Mistborn. Wasn’t really blown away the first time I read it, but I think I would enjoy it more the second time around now that I have some perspective. I have yet to read SA and I’m hoping it lives up to the hype. Plan on starting SA when there is a solid release date on book 5.
I’ve made 3 attempts to get my wife to start Mistborn Era 1 She’s a non fiction reader but she said she wanted to give it a try and my copy has sat next to the bed for a year One day……..
Tell her it’s Lord of the Rings meets Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. If that doesn’t pique her interest you may just have to wait for a screen adaptation.
Mike So I read Mistborn about a month ago. I liked it, thought the magic system was well thought out, as advertised, and the plotting was great. Aside from Vin and Kelsier the characters didn’t stay with me. Anyway, I really liked it overall, but I dont have a burning desire to read books 2 and 3 at this point. If I jump to The Way of Kings, I’m not going to miss anything? I get they are different series, but exist in the same universe
The only thing I’ve read from Sanderson is Elantris and I did not like it all. Parts of it made me frustrated just because of how ham fisted and not subtle they were (but part of me liked Galladon). BUT I so badly want to give more of his stuff a try because I hear that it was a fluke. Then I go on videos like this and 90% of people with high praise say things like “well I loved Elantris not sure why people say it’s bad” so I don’t know what to think, maybe I’ll try warbreaker
I love Elantris but it is by far his weakest book. Warbreaker is a step up but still very early in his writing. I would advise The Emperor's Soul. Seriously, that is the best thing he has ever written and it's a short novella that you can get through fast. If you like that, you will probably also love Mistborn and SA. If not, hes not for you and don't waste your time trying to read his longer works
I've gotta be honest. I don't get on the Sanderson hype train too much. I read way of kings as my first book with him, and as solid as it was, it was so long. I followed up with mistborn book 1 and thought that was pretty solid though. Part way through words of radiance and it is okay, but again, so long.
Warbreaker didn't work for me. It drags. It was boring. Mistborn is awesome. I've only read through book 4, so I can't fully comment on Wax and Wayne's generation. But the first trilogy is phenomenal. Elantris definitely drags a bit. It's not bad, but it's very obvious that it's early in his writing. Now, Emperor's Soul is wonderful. Very very short but such a good story.
I’m close to finishing my 3rd reread of LOTR and was thinking of starting with the storm light archives but wasn’t sure 16:23 I know the feeling of waiting…. David Weber still hasn’t released book 11 of safehold series yet 😂
Hard magic systems are ones where the author has explained the magic system enough so that the reader knows what can and can’t be done by magic. Sanderson loves to use this to increase the tension in the story because the reader knows that the magic can’t get the character out of a particular situation. It adds another layer to the story because as a reader you’re trying to use the rules to guess how the protagonist can succeed or how the villain is doing what he’s doing.
Just to expand a little on the other guy's post, soft magic is when you (and often the characters as well) have no idea how any of this works, they just do it or discover it. Harry Potter is mostly soft. When Harry has a problem, you have no idea how he can solve it and usually Harry doesn't either until someone comes along and tells him a spell or gives him a potion for the situation.
I prefer SA but Mistborn Era 1 is amazing. I totally respect your opinion because they are different enough that I think it’s really a question of taste not a question of quality.
can you also just stay with the Stormlight Archive and Warbreaker only, or would you miss out on too much from the cosmere? I did not start Sanderson's world, yet, and I would like to gauge whether I should start it. The further mistborn books that you showed in addition to the first mistborn trilogy is not for me and I don't like his hyped promotion campaigns for the cosmere, of which you can't get the books when you don't spend a ton of money within his ridiculous kick starter campaigns. Like 'haha you didn't buy right away so you are out'. And I am also not a fan of ever ongoing never finishing series. Now, I learned from you that the series Stormlight Archive is not finished, yet. I have all the books standing on my shelves (german version) that are out so far, but I'm the kind of reader who only starts a series when one knows that it's finished :)
Considering Sanderson has planned the Stormlight Archive to be 10 books you would have to wait decades before you could start it, so I would recommend just starting it now anyway. I promise you will enjoy it! But Mistborn or Warbreaker are also a great starting point for the Cosmere. You don't need to read everything to enjoy any cosmere series, but having read other books will definitely enhance it! About the Kickstarter books, I would say don't worry about not geting them right away. That campaign is mostly an experiment for Sanderson to publish his own books, since he has always been traditionally published. After the initial Kickstarter rollout he will make the books available through other cheaper options.
@@hellgast0 Thank you so much for your help. So, I will definitely consider to start with what I have already on my shelves :) (stormlight arch and warbreaker, all in German.) I hear so many positive things about Sanderson. I was shocked a bit about the massive hype with his campaign which should be so limited... ^^ It's very good to know that we can reach the new releases somewhere later, thank you =)
I’d seen Elantris and Mistborn for years but the covers made them look so boring / generic. I read the last books of Wheel of Time and I thought hmmm this guy can write ( VERY noticeable differences in tone from Robert Jordan but enjoyable). Then I dove right into Stormlight Archive 😂 Still never got around to Mistborn or Elantris and I probably never will…
Would reading mistborn the secret history after era one okay I’ve heard a lot of people say it spoils bands of mourning? But is it a major spoiler? And where do you think it’s better to read it?
Up to you but it ruins the ending of Bands. I personally think it is a major spoiler but everyone has there own opinion. My opinion: If Brandon wanted it read between Era 1 and 2 he would of wrote it before he started writing Era 2.
I started with Mistborn era 1 and loved it. I think I read Stormlight next and enjoyed it. I didn’t care for Elantris or White Sand, and Warbreaker was okay. The short stories were all solid, especially the Emperor’s Soul.
Each series can be read on it’s own but the more you read the more you see connections. There is a bigger story going on in the background that all these stories are part of.
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I would definitely recommend starting with Mistborn era 1 and Warbreaker. I read Stormlight before Mistborn and I think my expectations were so high from Stormlight that I didn’t love Mistborn like so many fans do.
The same happened to me. I was so high in Way of Kings that Mistborn just felt very underwhelming. I plan on rereading the trilogy now, 10 years after the first round, and hopefully I will appreciate it more this time with the right expectations.
I really loved both series, even after beginning with Stormlight. I wasn't as immediately struck by Mistborn as I was after reading the opening action sequence in the Way of Kings. Good lord that was mesmerising. But the characters were very quickly established as deeply as any in SA, and I loved the heist vibes (shit's like caper films badass) from the first book. They feel very different, so I guess it's just a matter of waiting for the next SA to drop to sate that hunger!
Maybe if I started reading Mistborn in my teenage years it would be better, but sadly it's a little bit too YA for me to enjoy it fully like I did Stormlight.
Way of Kings took me so long to read through, honestly Mistborn was a relief as I read through it pretty fast comparatively. I enjoyed both, but probably Mistborn more. I will reread Way of Kings because I don't really remember what happened in it anymore.
Damn, I'm scared I'll feel the same way. I'm currently in the middle of Rhythm of War, and I think Stormlight has become my favorite epic fantasy series of all time. Hopefully I can enjoy Mistborn as much as everyone else despite this.
I started with Elantris and went on to Mistborn, I was hooked.
I’ve recently started reading a lot the past few months. I used to never read unless for work. Now it’s all I want to do. You and captured in words got me to start Mistborn. The first series I’ve read since LOTR when I was in middle school.
Cosmere content always deserves some love
I’m blessed that I have all this info before going in! I decided to read it like: Elantris-Emperor’s soul-mistborn era 1- Warbreaker-Stormlight archive. Don’t know where I’m going to put mistborn era 2 in, when I feel like it I think. But I loved it this way so far, I knew Elantris was his first work en not the best, but loved it anyway, and Emperor’s soul was amazing for such few pages and now it can probably only get better from what I hear ❤️, starting mistborn soon!
Enjoy. I think you are reading in the perfect order because he gets better as he goes. I would read Mistborn Era 2 while you are waiting for him to publish the next Stormlight book. Era 2 is my least favorite but I liked the books better as the series progressed. I’m excited for The Lost Metal and I hope that Era 3 will be better because as I understand it the later Mistborn novels are supposed to pull the whole Cosmere together.
I had been debating between Mistborn and Stormlight for a while. I personally wanted to read Stormlight but it seemed like everyone recommended Mistborn to get my feet wet. I went with Stormlight and have no regrets, yeah maybe I won't appreciate the Cosmere as much but I wanted to go with the best he had to offer and it didn't disappoint, its definitely an all time great series for me, probably top 3 and its not even finished. I'd recommend people just go with they want to read first even if public opinion seems to push heavily in the way of Mistborn as the ideal starting point.
Did I start Cosmere ten years ago? Yes.
Am I still here cos it's a Cosmere video? Also yes.
I started with Mistborn Era 1 and then went in publication order. I think Warbreaker is a good start if you don't wanna risk a series first.
I went the complete opposite way but it worked like a charm imo I started with mistborn and found out it was within a verse so after I finished era one I hopped straight into Sa which was wild cuz it was one of my first high fantasy political type book series and it got me to read game of thrones as well which was a nice add on and now I’m currently reading Elantris which I also like
Ik game of thrones is unrelated but I had just been lookin for other high fantasy cuz roshar enamored me so much and Westeros did the same
I started with The Way of Kings, it seriously took me 2 years to read through that. I read slower back then. Since then I have read the first 2 novels of Mistborn and I just started Elantris the other day. Then I will go back to Mistborn 3 or maybe I'll do Warbreaker, I'm an ADHD reader if you couldn't tell.
I have started reading Mistborn, and it has been enjoyable so far.
Thanks for sharing this!
When I first started playing DND I was obsessed with paladins, so of course I started with “The Way of Kings”.
Warbreaker is the first thing I read of Sanderson's, and I adore it.
Hope you’re enjoying your vacation Mike! Been looking forward to this video!
I've read it all but for some reason I couldn't resist listening to you talk about this anyway.
Mistborn era 1 or Warbreaker are probably the best places to start. However, Skyward is also a nice series to start with if you want to go outside of the Cosmere
I'm in the minority of people who really likes Elantris and is only so-so on Warbreaker. I started with these and then moved onto Mistborn. Glad that I had read Warbreaker before I read Stormlight...but I agree that it is not necessary.
They’re reprinting his middle grade series now as well. It’s called Alcatraz vs The Evil Librarians. It’s not Cosmere but I think it would be great for anyone with kids or anyone who enjoys middle grade. So far I’ve only read Warbreaker, and I loved it!
I was kind of insane and started with the Stormlight Archive because I heard a buddy of mine raving about how The Way of Kings was the greatest fantasy book ever written and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
It hooked me right away, and I've since read most of the other Cosmere books including the short stories.
As much as I love Stormlight, I'd have to say my favorite series of his is Mistborn, era 1 in particular. Sure it's an earlier series of his, so it's a little rough around the edges, especially noticeable (probably moreso coming off of Stormlight where he's at his height) in the dialogue and some of the prose, but it's part of the charm to me.
Same here. While I consider TWoK and WoR to be the best novels I have ever read, Mistborn 1 (The Final Empire) is still my favorite to reread and Vin and Kelsier are still my favorite characters.
I checked out Brandon Sanderson’s website when the ability to get Warbreaker seemed questionable. It is available as an ebook and less as a physical book. It turns out that Sanderson made it completely available FREE on his site. Thanks for the recommendation Mike! That’s one that I haven’t read.
it's under a creative commons license, which is pretty cool
That's how I discovered him back around 2007. I was bored, broke, out of work and in need of free reading materiel. Someone on a forum told me to go read Warbreaker on some guy named Brandon Sanderson's website. Been hooked ever since.
Just a note to anyone wanting to do the same, last time I read it there, a couple of the chapter links were broken and went to the wrong chapter. Just pay attention to the chapter number in the web address bar and change manually if you need to.
Personally I started with Stormlight. If I were to do it again, I’d do Mistborn era 1 and Warbreaker first, just I’m order to understand all the Easter eggs, but rereading SA after reading the other stuff is still amazing. For some reason I haven’t gotten ti reading Elantris yet, but I’ll get there eventually.
I was not a big fan of era 2, but I think The Lost Metal is going to be epic. With the expanse of Scadrial w the discovery of more lands in the south, I have confidence in Brandon to close the era out in high fashion.
Stormlight archive was my entry point and it became my favorite series, after that I picked up warbreaker and got kinda disappointed because I expected stormlight level story but I still enjoyed some of it, currently reading mistborn(on book2) I had such a high expectations from reading stormlight, and though mistborn is fine it doesn't stand a chance against stormlight. The beauty about the cosmere is that even when you don't care that much for the book the connections make you want to keep going.
I was reading Elantris for the first time when Robert Jordan died, then a few months later got the news that Brandon Sanderson would be finishing the series and I was very happy about that since I had moved on to the first Mistborn and thought that was awesome. I thought Elantris was a good starting point too, but at that time and that age I had simpler tastes and there weren't quite as many hard magic systems around. If I'd read Elantris last instead of first, maybe I'd have a different opinion, but I'm still fond of it. Haven't re-read it since like 2014 though.
The appropriate reading order for 90%+ of authors is publication order, so Elantris is the default starting point if your goal is to read all of Sanderson's Cosmere books.
This year i already read 5 cosmere books..
I started with Mistborn era 1 (secret history included), then i read warbreaker.. Now im just at chapter 32 of The Way of kings starting stormlight archives. Amazing journey ive been having so far.
I think Brandon Sanderson is adult, in a subtle way. I'm reading Mistborn Era 2 right now, and someone makes a sequel gesture to Marasi, which could go over a young readers head, or being tame enough but shows how living in the slums can be.
I loved Elantris, I wanted more from that world, even a prequel about the Elantrian magic system. Warbreaker will be after Era 2, them stormlight!
Mistborn was where I started . Ive completed the first two books of the stormlight archive and really enjoyed them! SA is my fav so far! Hope i enjoy oathbringer too and how you say theres still a lot of Roshar to be discovered even after words of radiance! Just when i thought I’ve maybe be gotten to the edge of the map…
Keep reading Siege, I’ve read all the Cosmere stories and the Stormlight Archive is still my favorite.
Mistborn is a good place to start
After watching a lot of videos about where you should start with The Cosmere,back in 2020,I have decided to go with Elantris,and I'm glad for that because I ended up loving it.Definitely,he improved a lot in the following years as a writer. My reading order was:Elantris-Warbreaker-Mistborn Era l-Mistborn Era ll-Arcanum Unbounded(Mistborn: Secret History,The Hope of Elantris,The Eleventh Metal and The Emperor's Soul)-Stormlight Archive with Edgedancer between books two and three and Dawnshard before books three and four.
I think you're right to recommend Mistborn first. I read the first 2 or 3 Stormlight books before going to Mistborn and it took me to book 2 to really enjoy it because it was just so different. Meaning more YA. I love them now and really love era 2! All the Cosmere books are great, I loved them all for different reasons!
Saying there's a huge twist or "surprise heel turn" is a MASSIVE spoiler, because now when I read the book I'll spend the whole time looking for that. Thanks a ton.
I just ordered mistborn 1. I never read anything from Brandon so in really curious. I hear his books are good so we'll see :D
I started with Mistborn. I've been eager to read Stormlight, but I think I'll probably get Warbreaker under my belt beforehand
I'm a little older than yourself Mike, and I have always had hefty TBR's, that along with an assumption that Brandon Saunderson may probably be a writer for a younger crowd, I've yet to read anything from him. He is prolific and has such an enormous following that I do have an interest in his works. I'll eventually read something by him though indeed, I've no idea what to read. So thanks for this video, gives me something to think about. Anyone who reads Saunderson and sees this comment, I'd appreciate further suggestions.
I’ve read the first Mistborn trilogy and Warbreaker so far. Out of those four books The Final Empire was definitely my favourite and was a bit underwhelmed by Warbreaker. Though The Final Empire is obviously the first of a trilogy I feel it could be read on its own and you could hop off then if it wasn’t for you.
Last year I read my very first Sanderson books-the Stormlight Archive and I bloody loved them. Planning on reading more of his books in the coming months
Thanks guys.
The way of kings is a fantastic novel, can't speak for the rest, but I was totally fine with starting with it
I liked the Mistborn trilogy well enough, but Stormlight Archive is excellent and truly epic in scope, a huge world that is very alien rather than another clone of medieval Europe we get so often. Give The Way of Kings a chance but be warned it essentially has 3 prologues, so it takes a while to really get going, but completely worth it.
My favourite booktuber with my fav author ❤️
I started out with Elantris. I haven't read a lot when I did and I loved it. I thought if this was his first book and he gets better and better each book, I was in for a treat. I still recommend that when asked.
I concur with Mistborn Era 1, because that's all I've read of his besides Elantris and Emperor's Soul.
I started with Mistborn Era 1 and burned through it. I went right to Way of Kings a couple weeks ago. Now I am having a break but will get to Warbreaker and Words of Radiance next.
I started with stormlight and i loved it, but if you want a taste of Brandon Sanderson please read Emperor's Soul, it is a SOO GOOOOOOOD and only has 100 pages
So happy to get some Cosmere content on the channel again it's been a while
Seems to me that “The Emperors Soul” is a perfect novella to introduce someone to fantasy in general as well as to Brandon Sanderson.
I bought The Emperor’s Soul for my wife, thinking this would be a good starting point for introducing her to what a great storyteller Sanderson is without overwhelming her with a bunch of thick multi-volume stories.
Did she like it? I'm thinking about eventually getting it.
@@stephenferguson9756 She just started it
@@-Adam.Z We need to know now if she liked it.
Emperor’s Soul has one of my favorite character developments of all time. So good! Got my Dad to interrupt his TBR to read it. Mistborn is also where I started. It’s great but I am enjoying it a lot, maybe even more on a reread because of his ingenious ability to leave hints and foreshadowing that you only realize after everything has been revealed.
Also I have read his Stephen Leeds stuff, Skyward so far with all the novellas (some of the novellas are better than the main books) and The Rithmatist. All are very good!
I knew you could help me with this! Thanks so much, Mike💕
I started with Elantris and I'm glad I did for some reason really liked that book more most seemed to. wasn't as good as mistborn era 1 I think but haven't continued passed those 4 yet😁
Just finished Oathbringer so I really appreciate this video. From all the reviews I've seen apparently some parts in Oathbringer went over my head because it had some characters from other Cosmere stories appearing.
Before I get into Rhythm of War I'll be sure to properly prepare myself this time so I don't miss out on eventual crossover events again!
I did the same thing. Read Mistborn trilogy then right into Stormlight. Just finished Oathbringer and I knew I was missing some connections to other series. I’m reading the rest of the Cosmere books before I start Rhythm of War. About 1/2 through Elantris now.
My favorite standalone story from him would be Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. Highly recommend for anyone who just wants a taste of Sanderson's style.
I agree that is a great story but it leans more to horror than Stormlight Archive (which is my favorite).
@@ericgollings3760 Do you not recall the end of RoW? Now that is horror
White Sand can be dropped in anywhere, a world hopper does make an appearance. Sandersons YA stuff... well I read Rithmatist and its fantastic and my adult son read the reckoners series and loved that.
Is white sands ya?
@@christianrapper its on the same level with most sanderson Not YA but nor R-rated either
Hey Mike. New to the channel and to fantasy. Currently reading The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson and boy howdy is it good.
I got stormlight hardcover editions of books 1, 2, and 4 for dirt cheap but haven’t gotten any of mistborn yet. I’m tempted to start reading but been holding off. I read Elantris and absolutely loved that book.
Read it, you won’t regret it. Sanderson writes faster than many people read, so just dig in.
Thank you Mike!! I’m starting with Way of Kings.
It's really great 🙂
Enjoy 😉
Started here and didn't regret a thing. I was reading other cosmere in between books though to catch Easter eggs in books 2,3,4
I jumped off the deep end and started with Stormlight Archive first.
Man this is so exciting. I want to read all of the Cosmere but there's so much on my TBR. Ima do an active effort of reading more / more quickly so that I can get to the Cosmere.
I started with mistborn. Finished the first 2 books. Loved them! I was advised not to go with stormlight first, and thank you for that! Although big books don't intimidate me. But I get why I shouldn't have just started with his best; everything else would have felt pale after that I guess. But! I couldn't hold on from starting SA and I jumped into the first book after mistborn 2 was finished. Might look foolish, but I think I will finish mistborn series 1 after the way of kings 😅😊
Thank you. I am about to read my fist Brandon Sanderson book and wasn’t sure where to start.
I haven't read any of Brandon's book, but I think I'd love to pick one from your lists of recommendations. Thanks.
You should definitely try him out. Mistborn: The Final Empire is my recommended place to start but I think Stormlight Archive is his best writing.
@@ericgollings3760 Oh, that's great. Thank you, Eric. I'll consider it.
Personally, the book that got me excited to read more Cosmere novels was Warbreaker. The characters and their arcs just clicked with me a lot more than Mistborn which I read previously.
Cosmere is fun😌
Im very late to this video but i just eanted to say you are the best youtube book reviewer. Us men really appreciate your point if views
I appreciate that!
Warbreaker was sooooo good.
I personally started with storm light but I’m coming here starting this video like: he BETTER not be typical and say Mistborn and Warbreaker
You pleasantly surprised me sir!
I need to reread Mistborn. Wasn’t really blown away the first time I read it, but I think I would enjoy it more the second time around now that I have some perspective. I have yet to read SA and I’m hoping it lives up to the hype. Plan on starting SA when there is a solid release date on book 5.
Brandon is writing book 5 now with an expected release date of Dec ‘23. I think you’re safe enough to get into book 1.
Stormlight Archive is my favorite Sanderson and even if he never published again I would encourage people to read 1-4.
@@trlspann Sounds like 2024 now. Movie and TV deals eating all his time along with secret projects
very helpful video, thank you :) I will start with warbreaker according to your hints :)
Mistborn era 1
Secret History
Warbreaker
Elantris
Mistborn era 2
Stormlight
I'm coming off of two straight readings of WOT. So I'm ready for another epic.
I’ve made 3 attempts to get my wife to start Mistborn Era 1
She’s a non fiction reader but she said she wanted to give it a try and my copy has sat next to the bed for a year
One day……..
Tell her it’s Lord of the Rings meets Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. If that doesn’t pique her interest you may just have to wait for a screen adaptation.
Try Stormlight
I would recommend reading Mistborn era 1, WoK,RoW, edgedancer,OB, warbreaker,Dawnshard and then RoW
I started with way of kings and I loved it but mistborn is my favorite series.
If you liked Emperor's Soul that much, you definitely have to read Mistborn 7 asap.
Awesome music at the end of the video!
Mike
So I read Mistborn about a month ago. I liked it, thought the magic system was well thought out, as advertised, and the plotting was great.
Aside from Vin and Kelsier the characters didn’t stay with me.
Anyway, I really liked it overall, but I dont have a burning desire to read books 2 and 3 at this point.
If I jump to The Way of Kings, I’m not going to miss anything? I get they are different series, but exist in the same universe
Mike, keep up the good work! That is all! Haha!
Should I read Mistborn before Stormlight?
The only thing I’ve read from Sanderson is Elantris and I did not like it all. Parts of it made me frustrated just because of how ham fisted and not subtle they were (but part of me liked Galladon). BUT I so badly want to give more of his stuff a try because I hear that it was a fluke. Then I go on videos like this and 90% of people with high praise say things like “well I loved Elantris not sure why people say it’s bad” so I don’t know what to think, maybe I’ll try warbreaker
I love Elantris but it is by far his weakest book. Warbreaker is a step up but still very early in his writing. I would advise The Emperor's Soul. Seriously, that is the best thing he has ever written and it's a short novella that you can get through fast. If you like that, you will probably also love Mistborn and SA. If not, hes not for you and don't waste your time trying to read his longer works
I started with Mistborn Era 1
The first book I started reading of Sanderson is warbreaker and then I started on the way of kings
I've gotta be honest. I don't get on the Sanderson hype train too much. I read way of kings as my first book with him, and as solid as it was, it was so long. I followed up with mistborn book 1 and thought that was pretty solid though. Part way through words of radiance and it is okay, but again, so long.
I do audiobooks to make them go faster.
Too each their own. I love long books if they are good. Emperor's Soul is amazing, but it's too damn short.
Hey Mike! Love the video, just a friendly heads up, the music at the end was a little loud. I didn't really mind but I'd want someone to tell me 😁
🩴🦜💥🍄🥭🍗🌭🍺🏓🌴🦩☀️Enjoy the barbecue!
Warbreaker didn't work for me. It drags. It was boring.
Mistborn is awesome. I've only read through book 4, so I can't fully comment on Wax and Wayne's generation. But the first trilogy is phenomenal.
Elantris definitely drags a bit. It's not bad, but it's very obvious that it's early in his writing. Now, Emperor's Soul is wonderful. Very very short but such a good story.
I’m close to finishing my 3rd reread of LOTR and was thinking of starting with the storm light archives but wasn’t sure
16:23 I know the feeling of waiting…. David Weber still hasn’t released book 11 of safehold series yet 😂
I don't know if this was answered in another video, but what is the difference between soft magic, and hard magic?
Hard magic systems are ones where the author has explained the magic system enough so that the reader knows what can and can’t be done by magic. Sanderson loves to use this to increase the tension in the story because the reader knows that the magic can’t get the character out of a particular situation. It adds another layer to the story because as a reader you’re trying to use the rules to guess how the protagonist can succeed or how the villain is doing what he’s doing.
Just to expand a little on the other guy's post, soft magic is when you (and often the characters as well) have no idea how any of this works, they just do it or discover it. Harry Potter is mostly soft. When Harry has a problem, you have no idea how he can solve it and usually Harry doesn't either until someone comes along and tells him a spell or gives him a potion for the situation.
Thank you. That was helpful.
Unpopular opinion: Mistborn Era 1 is Brando Sando's best work (by a decent margin). And yes, I've read all stormlight.
I prefer SA but Mistborn Era 1 is amazing. I totally respect your opinion because they are different enough that I think it’s really a question of taste not a question of quality.
@@ericgollings3760 agreed!
Is that The Gormenghast trilogy I see on your shelf? Please tell me you've done a review of that!
Would love to hear your thoughts on The Banned and the Banished quintet by James Clemens. Such an amazing & underrated fantasy series.
I’m gonna start with Mistborn era 1.
wait...there going to be an era 3 and 4?
also what do think night blood power would be if they ended up in scandrial instead of roshar
Brandon said he originally planned 3 Mistborn trilogies. Era 2 was a happy accident.
I was under the impression that era 3 would be 80’s spy thriller inspired and 4 would be futuristic sci-fi.
@@totesmagotes213 Right now that is his plan
i personally woudn't read stormlight without reading Warbreaker.
If you really liked The Emperor's Soul, you should give Mistborn era 2 book 4 a read...
can you also just stay with the Stormlight Archive and Warbreaker only, or would you miss out on too much from the cosmere? I did not start Sanderson's world, yet, and I would like to gauge whether I should start it. The further mistborn books that you showed in addition to the first mistborn trilogy is not for me and I don't like his hyped promotion campaigns for the cosmere, of which you can't get the books when you don't spend a ton of money within his ridiculous kick starter campaigns. Like 'haha you didn't buy right away so you are out'. And I am also not a fan of ever ongoing never finishing series. Now, I learned from you that the series Stormlight Archive is not finished, yet. I have all the books standing on my shelves (german version) that are out so far, but I'm the kind of reader who only starts a series when one knows that it's finished :)
Considering Sanderson has planned the Stormlight Archive to be 10 books you would have to wait decades before you could start it, so I would recommend just starting it now anyway. I promise you will enjoy it!
But Mistborn or Warbreaker are also a great starting point for the Cosmere.
You don't need to read everything to enjoy any cosmere series, but having read other books will definitely enhance it!
About the Kickstarter books, I would say don't worry about not geting them right away. That campaign is mostly an experiment for Sanderson to publish his own books, since he has always been traditionally published. After the initial Kickstarter rollout he will make the books available through other cheaper options.
@@hellgast0 Thank you so much for your help. So, I will definitely consider to start with what I have already on my shelves :) (stormlight arch and warbreaker, all in German.) I hear so many positive things about Sanderson. I was shocked a bit about the massive hype with his campaign which should be so limited... ^^ It's very good to know that we can reach the new releases somewhere later, thank you =)
I’d seen Elantris and Mistborn for years but the covers made them look so boring / generic. I read the last books of Wheel of Time and I thought hmmm this guy can write ( VERY noticeable differences in tone from Robert Jordan but enjoyable). Then I dove right into Stormlight Archive 😂 Still never got around to Mistborn or Elantris and I probably never will…
Would reading mistborn the secret history after era one okay I’ve heard a lot of people say it spoils bands of mourning? But is it a major spoiler? And where do you think it’s better to read it?
Up to you but it ruins the ending of Bands. I personally think it is a major spoiler but everyone has there own opinion. My opinion: If Brandon wanted it read between Era 1 and 2 he would of wrote it before he started writing Era 2.
Just go in publication order.
Are there other authors that reliably devoid of ugly sex, excess violence etc you can recommend? Thanks
Sure. I have a video called Fantasy for Beginners and that's mostly PG stuff, with a few exceptions.
How many hours do you read in a session?
I read all of book 1 of mistborn and thought it was decent, but massively overhyped. I didn't expect a YA.
I started with Mistborn era 1 and loved it. I think I read Stormlight next and enjoyed it. I didn’t care for Elantris or White Sand, and Warbreaker was okay. The short stories were all solid, especially the Emperor’s Soul.
Idk why people ask literally start from book 1 in the cosmere which is elantris
That’s where I started too… Elantris then the hope of elantris next.
How are they connected
Each series can be read on it’s own but the more you read the more you see connections. There is a bigger story going on in the background that all these stories are part of.
🤩
JABLONKERS
start with the dumpster where all his book belong! HAHA
jk
@@ataridc you narrowly escaped death