An introduction

[FanGeek]

Hello all.

This is obviously my first post and so it seemed a good place to start. I began reading Sanderson as he finished the Wheel of Time series. I have now read the first two books of the Stormlight Archive. I'm not really sure what to read next, all I know is that I want MORE.

Any recommendations on how to proceed in feeding my new cosmere addiction?

[baby he/him]

Hiiiiiiii! Introductory upvote.

I'd advise you to read Warbreaker, as it clears up some stuff that happens at the end of WoR. After Warbreaker, the Mistborn trilogy's probably the best thing to read.

[Kaymyth she/her]

And then, of course, after the Mistborn trilogy you must move on to the Mistborn Era 2 books - Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self.  Bands of Mourning is then due to be released next month.  That should give you some stuff to chomp on!

 

Speaking of chomping, beware Sharders gifting cookies.

[FanGeek]

I read on the cosmere wiki page that elantris is the first book in the chronology of the cosmere. Is there any benefit to reading the books in the order that they occur in the timeline?

[Elbereth she/her]

At this point, not particularly. Elantris is the first in publication order, so it is a good choice, but chronology in the Cosmere at this point isn't vwery important.

Also, welcome!

[Stormgate he/him]

First of all, the books do not follow a timeline like that. Basically, there are some epigraphs in the Stormlight Archive books that refer to Sel, the world Elantris is set on. Mistborn gives us the most answers regarding the Cosmere, but SA helps shine some light on Splintering. There is an unpublished book White Sands that Sanderson will e-mail you if you e-mail him, as well. He also has a collection of short stories, many of which can be found on his website.

Also, may I suggest Steelheart? It is NOT Cosmere, but it is still quite good.

[Brightness Enna she/her]

I'd probably save Elantris for later, after you're fully hooked on Sanderson. While it is very good, it's got some issues (mostly with pacing) and so it's hard to get through. 

 

Warbreaker would probably help with understanding the significance of some events in WoR, as well as being an interesting story on its own.

 

Mistborn has a bunch of cosmere stuff in it, as has already been said. It's not necessary to read the first trilogy then AoL and the second trilogy right off. They're separate and the second trilogy, or at least Alloy of Law, is lighter. Bands of Mourning, out in January, promises to be cosmere-heavy, too, though, so...

 

There are also a bunch of cosmere short stories, like Sixth of the Dusk and Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. They're nice little bite-size pieces if you can find them.

 

My friend says to do Elantris then Mistborn (era 1, the first trilogy) then Warbreaker, then the rest of Mistborn.

 

In the meantime... the Reckoners series is great, the Rithmatist is a little more juvenile but really awesome, and the Alcatraz books (the last of which is coming out June 2016) are hilarious. I'm going to check those out as audiobooks and listen to them on the way to Disneyland next time I go with my family.

 

Good luck! This is treacherous terrain. You might lose your soul forever in the dark abyss of Sanderson. 

[tobar14 he/him]

I split it up into the size of the books/series:

Big series
Big Standalone

Short Story/Novella

 

For Example:

 

Stormlight Archive Books 1-2 (lots of cosmere information, but its all over your head at the moment)

Warbreaker (good to read right after stormlight, you will have some lightbulb moments)

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (very good short story, and it doesn't really talk about cosmere wide stuff, so its good to read before getting through the main bulk)
 

Mistborn Era 1 (too many good things to say, enjoy)

Elantris (now that you are fully hooked, you can read elantris, a strange book, weirdly paced, but with your burgeoning knowledge of cosmere works you will be hungry for every piece of this giant puzzle)

The Emperor's soul (short story on the same planet, after slogging through elantris this story is a nice easy read, lots of cosmere stuff, very cool characters and story)

 

Reckoners Series (its a nice break)

White Sand (more lightbulb moments, holy crap I loved this story. its unpolished, but it gets you emotionally involved)

Sixth of Dusk (one of my favorite stories. there's a lot of "what the hell is going on", a really good message, and some foreshadowing (pastshadowing?))

 

Mistborn (cowboys + steampunk + magic + Sazed is still cool)

rinse

repeat

[Stormgate he/him]

rinse.

repeat

I am curious about how to rinse. What do you use?

Book wise.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Stormgate

[tobar14 he/him]

I am curious about how to rinse. What do you use?

Book wise.

[Young Bard he/him]

I read on the cosmere wiki page that elantris is the first book in the chronology of the cosmere. Is there any benefit to reading the books in the order that they occur in the timeline?

 

At one point (well, a few points, actually) we plotted out a flow chart of what order you should read certain books. Mainly, the only advantage is Easter Eggs, but it can be fun if you spot one. For reference, here is the link (#shamelessadvertising).