Cosmere
#44.46 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 18 books Status Ongoing 2005–present Reading commitment High Brandon Sanderson Last reviewed 2026-08-05
Overview
The Cosmere is Brandon Sanderson's interconnected epic-fantasy universe: nearly all of his adult fantasy novels take place on different worlds of a single dwarf galaxy, whose magic systems derive from the 16 Shards of the shattered power Adonalsium. Sanderson writes each series to stand alone; the connections reward attentive readers without being required. The first Cosmere book, Elantris, appeared in 2005, and the universe has since grown to 18 core novels, including the Mistborn trilogy (2006-2008), its sequel era Mistborn: Wax and Wayne (2011-2016), and the ongoing Stormlight Archive, planned as ten volumes with five published through Wind and Truth (2024). Each world has its own distinct society and magic, while a slower background plot links them across planets. Sanderson's 2022 Kickstarter campaign for four surprise Cosmere novels became, at the time, the most-funded project in the platform's history, underscoring the universe's exceptional commercial reach; a third Mistborn era is planned.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (18 works) counts toward ranking
Mistborn Era 1 Brandon Sanderson
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mistborn: The Final Empire | 2006 | core | 4.48 (1,079,418 ratings) |
 | The Well of Ascension | 2007 | core | 4.37 (725,345 ratings) |
 | The Hero of Ages | 2008 | core | 4.56 (653,902 ratings) |
Mistborn Era 2 (Wax and Wayne) Brandon Sanderson
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Alloy of Law | 2011 | core | 4.19 (313,008 ratings) |
 | Shadows of Self | 2015 | core | 4.25 (227,136 ratings) |
 | The Bands of Mourning | 2016 | core | 4.40 (207,713 ratings) |
 | The Lost Metal | 2022 | core | 4.48 (135,994 ratings) |
The Stormlight Archive Brandon Sanderson
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Way of Kings | 2010 | core | 4.66 (725,247 ratings) |
 | Words of Radiance | 2014 | core | 4.76 (531,227 ratings) |
 | Oathbringer | 2017 | core | 4.60 (392,106 ratings) |
 | Rhythm of War | 2020 | core | 4.56 (266,780 ratings) |
 | Wind and Truth | 2024 | core | 4.36 (161,731 ratings) |
Planned as 10 novels; 5 published through Wind and Truth (2024).
Elantris (2005) core · 4.16 (372,841 ratings)
Warbreaker (2009) core · 4.29 (304,714 ratings)
Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023) core · 4.30 (332,555 ratings); Secret Project #1 (Kickstarter Jan 2023; trade April 2023).
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (2023) core · 4.42 (134,388 ratings); Secret Project #3.
The Sunlit Man (2023) core · 4.25 (94,343 ratings); Secret Project #4.
Isles of the Emberdark (2025) core · 4.47 (44,084 ratings); Secret Project #5; full novel expanding the novella Sixth of the Dusk.
Library: Expanded Canon (11 works)
- The Hope of Elantris (2007) ; Side story to Elantris; collected in Arcanum Unbounded (2016).
- The Eleventh Metal (2011) ; Mistborn prequel short; collected in Arcanum Unbounded (2016).
The Emperor's Soul (2012) ; Set on Sel; won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novella; collected in Arcanum Unbounded (2016).
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (2013) ; Set on Threnody; collected in Arcanum Unbounded (2016).
Sixth of the Dusk (2014) ; Set on First of the Sun; expanded by the 2025 novel Isles of the Emberdark.- Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes 28-30 (2014) ; In-world serial tied to Mistborn Era 2; collected in Arcanum Unbounded (2016).
Mistborn: Secret History (2016) ; Companion novella to Mistborn; commonly read after The Bands of Mourning (placement community-sourced).
Edgedancer (2016) ; Continuity-important: set between Words of Radiance and Oathbringer. First in Arcanum Unbounded (Nov 2016); standalone edition 2017.
Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection (2016) ; Collects the shorter Cosmere works plus a White Sand excerpt; published November 22, 2016.
Dawnshard (2020) ; Continuity-important: set between Oathbringer and Rhythm of War.
White Sand (graphic novel trilogy) (2016) ; Dynamite: Vol.1 2016, Vol.2 2018, Vol.3 2019; revised omnibus 2022. Canonical story, adaptation of an unpublished prose draft, registered Expanded.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Cosmere? Cosmere's Core Canon is 18 books, plus 11 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Cosmere? Publication order, starting with Mistborn: The Final Empire. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Cosmere finished? Ongoing (2005–present).
- How much reading does Cosmere take? High reading commitment (estimated from 18 Core Canon books · ~12,432 pages).
- How is Cosmere ranked? #4 in this site's official ranking, based on 6,702,532 reader ratings across 18 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #4?
Ranked #4 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.46 across 18 core books.
- Backed by 6.7M reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 4.16 to 4.76.
- 0.03 behind #3, The Hierarchy.
- Above the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 18 books · Ongoing · 6.7M ratings · Ranks #4 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (18 Core Canon books)
- Elantris (2005)
- Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)
- The Well of Ascension (2007)
- The Hero of Ages (2008)
- Warbreaker (2009)
- The Way of Kings (2010)
- The Alloy of Law (2011)
- Words of Radiance (2014)
- Shadows of Self (2015)
- The Bands of Mourning (2016)
- Oathbringer (2017)
- Rhythm of War (2020)
- The Lost Metal (2022)
- The Sunlit Man (2023)
- Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023)
- Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (2023)
- Wind and Truth (2024)
- Isles of the Emberdark (2025)
Awards (verified)
- David Gemmell Legend Awards (2011, 2015, 2018) and multiple #1 NYT debuts: Stormlight Archive books
- Hugo Award (Best Novella), 2013: won: The Emperor's Soul
- David Gemmell Legend Award (Best Novel), 2011: won: The Way of Kings
- David Gemmell Legend Award (Best Novel), 2015: won: Words of Radiance
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Cosmere and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Sword & sorcery / Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.33
- A Song of Ice and Fire Epic fantasy / Grimdark · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.41
- Realm of the Elderlings Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.29
- Malazan Epic fantasy / Grimdark · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.27
Official resources
- Brandon Sanderson: Where do I start?
- What is the Cosmere? (official FAQ)
- Coppermind: the recognised Cosmere wiki
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.46 across 6,702,532 ratings on 18 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Cosmere is a single universe accepted 2026-08-03
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Brandon Sanderson, official website Tier 1
- Coppermind Tier 2
- Wikipedia (English) Tier 2
- Macmillan / Tor Publishing Group Tier 1
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmere
Last reviewed: 2026-08-06
Rule: One universe. Core = 18 published novels; novellas and White Sand expanded. Stormlight planned as 10 novels; Mistborn Era 3 planned.