Mistbornauthor Brandon Sanderson has become one of the most celebrated names in contemporary fantasy, with his best novels falling in that genre. Since his debut novelElantriswas released in 2005,Sanderson has risen to international prominence and acclaim through book series likeMistbornandThe Stormlight Archive, both of which are part of a granderfictional universe called the Cosmere. His various series and standalone novels are connected by Easter eggs and world-hopping characters, making his Cosmere project one of the most ambitious and expansive overarching narratives that literature has ever seen.
Brandon Sanderson authored the final three books ofThe Wheel of Timeseries, but this list will stick with novels that are fully his creations.
Brandon Sanderson has a massive following online due to his podcast, YouTube channel, and website, where he’s appreciated for his transparency regarding his progress on his books. He’s constantly praised for his writing speed, having released four entire novels in 2023 through his Secret Projects Kickstarter campaign. With his latest book,Winds and Truth,now released, many fans will be interested in looking back at his entire bibliography.
20The Alloy Of Law
The Awkward Introduction Of The Wax And Wayne Saga
The new era of the Mistborn saga was introduced withThe Alloy of Law, taking place hundreds of years after the original trilogy.The Alloy of Lawhas the difficult task of establishing this new world for the next four novels of the Wax and Wayne series to take place in which is decidedly different from the one introduced in the Mistborn trilogy. Taking audiences out of the dark ages of the first era, the story now takes place in a modern, steampunk society.
While it is interesting to see the story evolve in this way, the setting is unfortunately the highlight of the story. While Brandon Sanderson is usually very effective with his characters, Wax and Wayne don’t make for very compelling protagonists to kick things off.It is ultimately an awkward introduction to the lesser follow-up series that puts things off on the wrong foot despite the potential of the setting.
19Legion
A Novella Brimming With Intriguing Concepts
Brandon Sanderson’s 2012 novellaLegionstands out as something of an anomaly among his highly acclaimed bibliography, though it’s not for negative reasons. Firstly,Legionis shorter than most of Sanderson’s other works, and this has led to many of his fanbase embracing it as a quicker way to access his celebrated and unique writing style. Compared to his lengthy novels in series likeMistbornandThe Stormlight Archives,the novella-lengthLegionfeels incredibly digestible.
The other reason the novella stands out is that, unlike the overwhelming majority of Brandon Sanderson’s books,Legionis set in the real world (albeit with, of course, a mystical fantasy twist). The story ofLegionand its sequels focuses on Stephen Leeds, an investigator with the unique ability to conjure various hallucinated “personae” that help him with his cases (and, often, to evade the many researchers hunting him down).It’s definitely unique among Brandon Sanderson novels, and thoroughly recommended to fans who want to experience the writer experimenting with a more grounded setting than his usual epic high-fantasy worlds.
18The Rithmatist
Sanderson’s Take On Young Adult Fantasy
Just asLegionstands out among the best Brandon Sanderson novels partly because it’s a break from the author’s typical work, the same can be said for 2013’sThe Rithmatist.The first volume in a planned series,The Rithmatistis a fully blown Steampunk adventure aimed at a teen audience. Seeing Sanderson try his hand at YA fiction is definitely worth the read, and the author doesn’t struggle to make his ideas more digestible for younger readers.
The Rithmatistwas nominated for Best Fiction for YA at the BFYA awards, and the audiobook was nominated for the Fantasy Category Audie Award.
While the pacing ofThe Rithmatistis sometimes criticized for spending a little too long on its worldbuilding, it’s nevertheless an exhilarating read, especially for those fans who are at an age that may see them struggling with some of his heavier volumes like those of theMistbornorThe Stormlight Archives.Like many of the author’s other books, the setting ofThe Rithmatistis also worth exploring, and Sanderson creates a lot of interesting concepts in his unique gear and cog-filled steampunk world.
17Steelheart
The First Novel In The Reckoners Series
Legionmay be noteworthy for being set in the real world, but it’s not the only Brandon Sanderson novel among his best works that’s used reality as a foundation for building a fantastical world. However, whileLegionsimply adds self-contained dashes of the fantastical and unexplained to the modern world as readers know it, the YA superhero novels ofThe Reckonersseries bend reality much more liberally. 2013’sSteelheart,the first novel inThe Reckonersseries, takes readers to an America forever changed by the emergence of humans with extraordinary abilities known as “epics”.
The novel focuses on David, a young boy living in Newcago (formerly Chicago) that’s now under the tyrannical rule of the titular Epic, Steelheart. Sanderson uses the firstThe Reckonersnovel to fully immerse readers in his unique superpowered dystopia, anddespite it being YA, it can get incredibly dark. LikeLegionandThe Rithmatist,The Reckonersnovels feel somewhat detached from Brandon Sanderson’s more well-known works, but this doesn’t detract from them in any way, andSteelheartremains an incredibly worthwhile read and a highlight of the author’s bibliography.
16Shadows Of Self
An Improved Second Installment In The Mistborn 2 Series
Shadows of Selfis the second novel in the second era of Mistborn novels, followingThe Alloys of Law. Like the first book,Shadows of Selfhas a lot of growing pains in getting the new series and its world underway, but it is also a vast improvement over the first novel. It feels as though Sanderson is gaining his footing in this world with the world-building providing a lot more excitement and some pivotal developments to the larger universe that will please fans.
The characters remain a little hit-or-miss, with Sanderson still struggling to define them as truly layered figures in the story.
The characters remain a little hit-or-miss, with Sanderson still struggling to define them as truly layered figures in the story. However, themain characters do begin to take shape a little more in this story and Sanderson starts to have fun with them. Alas, in terms of the more lighthearted aspects of the book, the humor can often be the most difficult thing to overcome with the dialogue feeling particularly forced when going for a laugh.
15Elantris
Sanderson’s First Published Novel
2005’sElantrisrepresents Brandon Sanderson’s big break as an author, and it remains one of his best books so far. In some ways, the incentive for established Brandon Sanderson fans to want to readElantrisis obvious. As his first published novel, it will always hold a significant place in his bibliography. What’s more,the author’s talent for crafting epic and thrilling high-fantasy adventures is evident with every turn of the page, and it’s easy to see how the writer behindElantriswent on to become the matured and refined Brandon Sanderson behind series like The Stormlight Archive.
However, even without the historical significance of being the first all of Brandon Sanderson’s novels,Elantrisstill stands in its own right, both as and enjoyable read and one of the author’s best works. The novel went down well with critics when it released, with notable praise being given to the surprisingly strong world-building skills that then-new author Sanderson would soon become known for. Interestingly, the series-creating Sanderson has yet to write a sequel toElantris,though he did release a short story and novella in the same world.
14The Bands Of Mourning
The Mistborn 2 Saga Is Elevated With Memorable Characters
The Bands of Mourningis the third and penultimate book in the Mistborn 2 series which is part of the issue with the story. In many ways, the book feels like it only serves to set up the more interesting ending to the story. However,The Bands of Mourningalso stands out from the previous books in this series, making several improvements on the shortcomings of the Mistborn 2 series thus far.
However, the real standout is the character of Steris who steals the show after being rather forgettable before.
While Wax and Wayne made for lackluster characters in the initial books, Sanderson seems to be more tuned into the characters this time around, making them a lot more likable and avoiding the caricature aspects that plagued the first two books. However, the real standout is the character of Steris who steals the show after being rather forgettable before. In the end,it is a turning point for the Mistborn 2 series, proving that it is far from a failure.
13The Sunlit Man
The Final Secret Projects Book
The Sunlit Manwas the final book released as part of Sanderson’s Secret Projects Kickstarter campaign. The success of the campaign was a testament to how beloved the author is as it became the most successful Kickstarter campaign of all time. However, that legacy is perhaps remembered more than the actual final installment in this self-publishing era of Sanderson’s career.
The Sunlit Manfeels like something specificallycreated for die-hard Sanderson fans, which also means that it can be a little inaccessible to anyone else. He does not feel the need to fill in any blanks or give typical resolutions as he is just taking his dedicated fans on a journey. However, there are some special aspects to the story, including the character of Nomad who has been compared to the titular hero fromtheMad Maxmovies.
12The Well Of Ascension
An Integral Chapter In The Mistborn Saga
In some ways, ranking every Brandon Sanderson book can be difficult, because so many of his individual books are part of the wider series. Of all the series Sanderson has created, however,Mistbornholds a special place in the hearts of many readers, and it’s the way that many fantasy fans discovered him. 2007’sThe Well Of Ascensionis the secondMistbornbook to be released.
While it may not be as highly regarded as some otherMistbornstories, such as 2006’sThe Final Empireor 2008’sThe Hero of Ages,it still remains one of the best books Brandon Sanderson has written.The Well Of Ascensionis the second book in the firstMistborntrilogy, so it isn’t as accessible as much as some of the author’s other books. However, this doesn’t change the fact that it’s an incredibly gripping and engaging fantasy novel.
What’s more, writing the second entry in a trilogy is no easy task, yet Sanderson has created a story that perfectly ties togetherThe Final EmpireandThe Hero of Agesand, at the same time, also feels like a developed story, rather than just multiple chapters of filler material (a trap many fantasy trilogies unknowingly fall into).
11Warbreaker
Warbreaker Is One Of Sanderson’s Best Standalone Fantasy Novels
Warbreakeris one of Sanderson’s earlier novels that doesn’t get enough credit. While it’s not directly part of any of his main series, the book is part of the Cosmere universe and has direct ties to events inThe Stormlight Archive, making it a must-read for any fans of that saga. As forWarbreakeritself, it has many of the qualities that Sanderson stories are known for:compelling magic, riveting pacing, and excellent characters, with the benefit of being compact in a one-off installment.
Warbreakeris a self-contained story, making it one of the most accessible arcs to enjoy from start to finish in Sanderson’s world
WhileElantrishas a follow-up novella and sequels planned,Warbreakeris a self-contained story, making it one of the most accessible arcs to enjoy from start to finish in Sanderson’s world. It boasts a 4.3 score from readers on GoodReads, which is on the lower end compared to novels inThe Stormlight Archivebut still an impressive number overall.Warbreakerisn’t quite as well-developed as Sanderson’s larger series, as his greatest skills are in long-term plotting and slow-burn character arcs, but it’s still a highly enjoyable read.
