Greetings - New to Sanderson, need to know what else to read.

[Hearthebeard]

Well hello fellow Roshar...ians? Rosharites?,

My name is Hearthebeard and I have just finished Way of Kings and Words of Radiance at a blistering pace, though that is all of Sanderson's work that I have read. I love the mythos of this world, though just from perusing this site, it is evident that much more information about this universe is available in his other books. Which should I read? And in what order?

Life before Death, Radiants.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Hearthebeard

[Moogle]

Welcome!

 

For your next books, I'd recommend everything pretty much. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) Brandon gets better at writing with every book, so you might find his older stuff to be not quite as good as SA. (I can barely stand Elantris, personally.)

 

If you want to know more about the background of the Cosmere, the next series you'll want to read is the Mistborn trilogy (and Alloy of Law). The Mistborn trilogy remains my favorite books by Brandon Sanderson. Warbreaker is also a good read if you're into the Stormlight Archive - I'd recommend rereading Szeth's last WoR chapter then heading to Warbreaker.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Moogle

[Left he/him]

I would recommend reading mistborn next as well.

 

Welcome and take an upvote fellow sharder

[Shardlet he/him]

Not everyone feels the way Moogle does about Elantris.  Personally, I enjoy it quite a bit.  That said, I agree that Mistborn should be your next destination.  Don't forget to pick up Brandon's YA stuff (Steelheart and The Rithmatist) also.  Very entertaining.  The Alcatraz series is great for a quick read with lots of laughs.  Also, on Brandon's site, there is some excellent short stories to read. 

[Dellexe he/him]

I highly recommend Warbreaker, it's my favourite Sanderson novel so far. Also, reread the Szeth's last scene in WoR.

-

Mistborn is also very good. Elantris was my first Sanderson novel, and I enjoy it, but it isn't as good as his other stuff.

[Iarwainiel I she/her]

I agree with the others.

 

Mistborn (Final Empire) was the first Sanderson I read & I was instantly hooked - great story & fantastic characters.

 

Warbreaker was my least favorite so far - IMO both female characters were just not believeable at all, like Vin was in Mistborn. But I need to re-read WB as I know I missed cosmere stuff - it'd be worth reading just for that.

 

I liked Elantris better on 2nd reading - the first time, I felt the female character was just not well-drawn. I chalked it up to the fact that Brandon was still single when he wrote it. Since he got married, his female characters are more realistic.

 

You might want to wait to read Emperor's Soul till after you read Elantris, as it's set on the same world, though it's not essential.

 

Same with Alloy of Law - the Mistborn trilogy occurs (I think) several hundred years before AoL on the same planet. AoL is the  best steampunk I've read so far.

 

Non-cosmere, I heartily recommend the Alacatraz series and also The Rithmatist. (One of the best parts of getting old is that you can read children's books without people giving you too much "childishness" grief - as Doctor Who #4 said, "What's the good of being grown-up if you can't be childish when you want to?")

 

Happy reading & welcome to the 17th Shard!

[Atilium she/her]

Mistborn or Warbreaker would probably be your best bet, but as Moogle said, anything Brandon writes is (in my opinion) amazing, so really, you what, just go and buy them all! (hehe) 

 

Funny story: after a year of begging I eventually convinced my (very) stubborn guy friend to read WoK and he loved it. I told him to read the other Sandersons but he was all snarky and snobbish like, "No, I normally only like one or two books by an author, I have very refined tastes." I pretended to believe him but discreetly mentioned that a library near him has all three Mistborn books. Three months later he comes and whines in my ears because the third book is still out and now he has to wait several weeks for it. I feel like an evil mastermind

 

But yes, Mistborn or Warbreaker are probably my personal favorites in the Cosmere (strong females ftw!) and I'd recommend them for you if you enjoyed WoK, they have very similar feels, unlike, say, Rithmatis, which though I LOVED it has a very different feel to WoK and it probably won't be a good idea to read it directly after WoK as it's a far simpler story. 

[Left he/him]

Oh, and Alctatraz is awesome! Its a kids book, but it reads like a Terry Pratchet that you would feel okay handing to a ten year old. Not that it's simplified and childish, but it's language and adult stuff isn't there or got replaced with in world stuff.

[Queen Elsa Steelheart she/her]

Welcome!!

My favourite is Steelheart, and I would definately reccomend it.

[Voidus]

My suggestion would be in the order that they were written, but that's just because the Old Gods I mean, Voices in my head I have OCD.
Elantris, Mistborn, Warbreaker

[navybrandt he/him]

Really any of them are good, but like others before me, I recommend his Cosmere books first.

Cosmere Novels:

• You've already read Stormlight Archive, which you know had to be read in order (Way of Kings, Words of Radiance).
• You can read Warbreaker as a stand-alone novel. Yes, read Szeth's last scene again before/after reading Warbreaker.
• Elantris should probably be read before Emperor's Soul, but it's not essential. This is Brandon's first published book and I enjoyed it a lot.
• The Mistborn series should be read in order (The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages) followed by The Allow of Law which takes place a few hundred years after the first trilogy. Mistborn is my favorite series behind Stormlight Archive.

Non-Cosmere Novels:

• Steelheart should be read before the new Firefight novel
• The Rithmatist can be read as a stand-alone novel
• I haven't read the Alcatraz or Infinity Blade books yet, so I'll have to bow to the wisdom of others there.
• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and finished by Brandon Sanderson is another 14-book series that will keep you occupied for a while and is extremely good. It must be read in order and starts with The Eye of the World.

Edited August 14, 2014 by navybrandt

[GroundPetrel]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Brandon Sanderson!  Or as I like to call it, Elysium.  

 

I read the Cosmere novels in the following order: 

 

Elantris

Mistborn trilogy

Warbreaker

Way of Kings

Alloy of Law & short stories that were out before Words of Radiance

Words of Radiance.  

 

I've also read Rithmatist and Steelheart.  

 

From a writing quality POV, the first Mistborn book and IMHO Elantris are the best non-Stormlight books.  From a lore POV, just don't read any series out of order, and ALWAYS read Warbreaker before Words of Radiance if you can.  

 

As navybrandt said, The Wheel of Time is an excellent series, and Robert Jordan is an excellent author at least as good as Brandon is.  It's a mammoth undertaking, but IMHO well worth it; it'll keep you occupied while you're waiting for Stormlight 3.  

 

Best, 

GroundPetrel