Science Fiction

Amazing! Sanderson writes an incredibly inter-woven series of stories that are largely independent of one another, but do intersect in different ways, and the deeper we get into his worlds, the more the overlapping elements of his universe start to come into the narrative.

The Cosmere is big and complex, and I just finished re-reading the whole thing in a suggested order that helps build up the Cosmere in a way that's a bit friendlier to a new reader. Each series takes place on different planets in their universe, and in the case of the Mistborn series, in two different eras separated by a few hundred years.

Here's how I read it:

PHASE ONE (largely independent)

Scadrial

• Mistborn (The Final Empire): Mistborn Era 1-1
• The Well Of Ascension: Mistborn Era 1-2
• The Hero Of Ages: Mistborn Era 1-3
• The Eleventh Metal (Novella in Arcanum Unbounded)

Sel

• Elantris
• The Hope of Elantris (Novella in Arcanum Unbounded)
• The Emperor's Soul (Novella in Arcanum Unbounded)

Nalthis

• Warbreaker

Taldain

• White Sand (either the original 3-part graphic novel or the new prose version)

Threnody

• Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (Novella in Arcanum Unbounded)

First of the Sun

• Sixth of the Dust (Novella in Arcanum Unbounded)

PHASE TWO (starting to weave in Cosmere references more heavily)

Scadrial

• The Alloy Of Law: Mistborn Era 2-1
• Allomancer Jak (Novella in Arcanum Unbounded)
• Shadows Of Self: Mistborn Era 2-2
• The Bands Of Mourning: Mistborn Era 2-3
• Mistborn: Secret History (Novella in Arcanum Unbounded)

Roshar

• The Way Of Kings: Stormlight Archive 1
• Words Of Radiance: Stormlight Archive 2
• Edgedancer (Novella in Arcanum Unbounded)
• Oathbringer: Stormlight Archive 3
• Dawnshard (Novella)
• Rhythm Of War: Stormlight Archive 4

Scadrial (again!)

• The Lost Metal (this one makes much more sense after Roshar)

There's also a few shorts Brandon wrote as a secret project during the pandemic that are starting to be released now:

Lumar

• Tress Of The Emerald Sea

Komashi

• Yuri and the Nightmare Painter

???

• Kickstarter Secret Project #3 in October 2023