Someone New to the Cosmere

[Thinky Think]

Hello!

I stumbled across Sanderson's Three Laws of Magic around a month ago and got curious about his stuff, so I browsed around his website. I found the foreword to Way of Kings, and found myself intrigued by how he described it. Fast forwards to now and I have just finished Words of Radiance and found myself interested in his other works. Imagine my surprise to find out that most of it is all interconnect as one interconnected universe. I did some more snooping and discovered that this forum, which I assume is basically the hub of the Sanderson fandom.

So, my question to you all is, how important is knowledge of the Cosmere? Is there a particular order I should read his series in, and how closely do they all tie together? Is it a case of 'these all happen in the same universe, but that's more just an interesting detail' or is it more 'all the series have impacts on one another in some form, and learning more about the Cosmere itself can spoil the more minor stories.'

Thank you for your time!

[kenod]

At the moment the Cosmere stuff is still in the background, and it can give some interesting insights into what's really happening, but it isn't necessary to enjoy the series. It is going to come more to the foreground in the future, but we don't know exactly when, although it will be around the last Mistborn era at the latest (we're currently in era 2).

Also, have a cookie.

[Thinky Think]

Yay, cookie!

So would it be safe for me to look up the Cosmere itself on Tvtropes? Or do I need to worry about spoiling the other series?

[marsoupial they/them]

31 minutes ago, Thinky Think said:

Hello!

I stumbled across Sanderson's Three Laws of Magic around a month ago and got curious about his stuff, so I browsed around his website. I found the foreword to Way of Kings, and found myself intrigued by how he described it. Fast forwards to now and I have just finished Words of Radiance and found myself interested in his other works. Imagine my surprise to find out that most of it is all interconnect as one interconnected universe. I did some more snooping and discovered that this forum, which I assume is basically the hub of the Sanderson fandom.

So, my question to you all is, how important is knowledge of the Cosmere? Is there a particular order I should read his series in, and how closely do they all tie together? Is it a case of 'these all happen in the same universe, but that's more just an interesting detail' or is it more 'all the series have impacts on one another in some form, and learning more about the Cosmere itself can spoil the more minor stories.'

Thank you for your time!

Hello, Thinky! 

I'm bleeder, resident vest-wearer. Have you read Warbreaker? 

Also, do not eat the cookies. They will Ruin your life. 

[Thinky Think]

1 minute ago, bleeder said:

Hello, Thinky! 

I'm bleeder, resident vest-wearer. Have you read Warbreaker? 

Also, do not eat the cookies. They will Ruin your life. 

I'm gonna eat the cookie. It will be delicious.

And no, I haven't read Warbreaker. Only Sanderson books I've ever read are Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. It's part of the reason why I'm asking about the Cosmere, cause I didn't want to read it out of order. I have an ebook of The Final Empire sitting on my phone, so I'm probably going to read the Mistborn trilogy next.

[marsoupial they/them]

Just now, Thinky Think said:

I'm gonna eat the cookie. It will be delicious.

And no, I haven't read Warbreaker. Only Sanderson books I've ever read are Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. It's part of the reason why I'm asking about the Cosmere, cause I didn't want to read it out of order. I have an ebook of The Final Empire sitting on my phone, so I'm probably going to read the Mistborn trilogy next.

Warbreaker.pdf

Here you go!

Please do not eat the cookie, please.

[Mistbornwithakitty she/her]

Many welcomes!  It'll be good to have another thinker around here.  

I agree with @kenod,  there really isn't a particular order you should read the books.  Although I highly recommend Mistborn trilogy (seeing how it has the most books and explains some concepts otherwise not mentioned so much in WoK/WoR), you can go with whatever your little heart desires!  I hope to see you around the forum!     

 

@bleeder--Ruin your life.  Good one! *claps appreciatively*

[Elenion he/him]

8 hours ago, Thinky Think said:

I'm gonna eat the cookie. It will be delicious.

The cookies tend to have... unintended side effects. I really wouldn't suggest them. (The magic in them is from Mistborn).

[Brightness Enna she/her]

Just wanted to try to answer your questions, in case you didn't get whatever answer you wanted. Not that you can't find this info elsewhere but I like to be thorough. 

Yes, many of the adult series are connected in the cosmere. You don't need to read them in any order, though there sometimes is a general read-this-before-this. (One of the big ones is Warbreaker before Words of Radiance, but you can tell it didn't hamper your experience not doing that. As a side note, read Warbreaker soon, and keep in mind that WoR happens after Warbreaker.)

Knowledge of the cosmere is an advantage when reading, and looking it up in, say, coppermind.net (our wiki), will result in spoilers. It is a lot of fun to reread the books and see things you didn't catch before, though! Read all of them quickly!

Mistborn: The Final Empire, Well of Ascension, and Hero of Ages (in that order) are Era 1. The Alloy of Law is a standalone, but is in the same era as Shadows of Self, Bands of Mourning, and The Lost Metal (that last one is unpublished. Also in the right order), Era 1.5. Era 2 is planned to be set in the equivalent of American 1980s and Era 3 is going to be a futuristic. (1.5 was unplanned, which is why it is 1.5 and not 2.) Mistborn has a lot of cosmere stuff the second time 'round, when you've read some things without worrying about spoilers.

Warbreaker has an important aspect that shows up in WoR, as well as a few worldhoppers. It's a standalone, at least right now.

Also in the current-standalone zone is Elantris, an early work that is generally considered not as good writing-wise but still very much worth reading. It doesn't have a whole ton cosmere-wise either, besides sharing the same fundamental structure of magic and stuff. 

There are a few short stories and novellas out. Emperor's Soul has a good explanation of that fundamental structure of magic and stuff if you're looking for it. Sixth of the Dusk, Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell, Secret History (ONLY read after Mistborn era 1!) and Edgedancer (almost published) are coming out in an anthology, Arcanum Unbounded, in November. White Sand (three volumes, only the first is out) is a graphic novel set in the cosmere that introduces a significant worldhopper.

Also, look for Hoid. He's in every book, 'cuz he's a worldhopper (You may also know him as Wit.) 

The rest of Sanderson's work is great, too. Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians (5 books), Reckoners trilogy (Steelheart, Firefight, and Calamity), and Rithmatist, along with some other short stories and things, are not in the cosmere but worthy reads themselves. 

Hope I helped! Be wary of spoilers. As Sanderson plot twists are legendary and often mind blowing, people like to talk about them. Beware.  and welcome!

[JUQ he/him]

On 9/30/2016 at 9:46 AM, kenod said:

we're currently in era 2

Era 1.5 actually; there is a second trilogy that comes after the Wax and Wayne books.