Elend’s and Vin’s struggles with the weight of leadership and the difficulties in building a new society, shows a realism often forgotten in fantasy. Many fantasy books involve a revolution or war against an evil enemy, but few ask what happens next? What do you do after you defeat the Dark Lord? We all agree that a slave society is wrong, but what do you replace it with? Sanderson uses skill to show it’s not enough to kill the King, that alone won’t solve all the problems. There are amazing characters as usual and intense emotional moments, from the potential loss of Syl, to Shallan and Kaladin being trapped in the chasm, the battle during the storm and culminating in saying the words of the oath. One feature of this book, but Sanderson’s writing in general, is that he writes proactive characters who actively try to solve problems. She grows a lot as a character and it was a joy to read her being witty and intelligent. Kaladin is still my favourite but this is Shallan’s book.
List of brandon sanderson books in order archive#
There’s no denying that the Stormlight Archive puts the epic in epic fantasy. There are a lot of incredible moments in this book, from the battle scenes to the growth and development of the characters (and their knowledge). There is also another classic feature of a Sanderson novel, a mind-blowing ending that puts everything into a new perspective. Her journey from abused street orphan to powerful allomancer and undercover noblewoman is fascinating and kept me hooked. Mistborn also has some of Sanderson’s best characters like Kelsier and the crew, but most of all, Vin. There are other importance questions like how do you launch a revolution in a slave society and what are the best methods, do you destroy the ruling class like Kelsier believes or try to work with them like Elend believes? Trying to undertake a revolutionary heist in such a world makes for a great story. In this book, Sanderson asks an intriguing question, what if the Dark Lord won the final battle? The final battle between good and evil is such a common feature of fantasy novels that it’s surprising no one has ever wondered what would happen if the evil side won. Sanderson is rightly famous for his amazing characters, detailed magic systems, brilliant world building and excellent plots (all of which are present in this book) but what I really think makes him special is the premises he uses for his books. The setting is just so in-depth with a rich history and culture. What nudges Way of Kings ahead of Mistborn is that while Mistborn describes a country, Stormlight describes a whole world. Stealing a soulcaster isn’t exactly an honest thing to do, but it is daring and exciting. I especially enjoyed how she wasn’t merely a hopeless orphan, but plans to do something about her problem. The other characters too are fantastic and there are too many to mention, but Shallan deserves special attention. The struggle to overcome this is really uplifting and inspirational. It shows one of Sanderson’s key strengths, the ability to create dark and dangerous worlds without becoming melodramatic or gritty just for the sake of it. His journey from the depths of misery and despair, as he builds hope in the Bridge 4 crew, is one of the best plotlines I’ve ever read.
What makes it the best and top of this list is Kaladin, who is my number 1 favourite Cosmere character and probably my favourite in all of fantasy. There is fantastic world building, a brilliant plot and some of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read. Perhaps it is because this is the first Sanderson book I read, but this one edged its way to the top of the list. There was tough competition, especially at the top of the list and there is very little between some of the books. This is not an objective ranking of quality and there’s going to people who feel the books at the bottom should be at the top and vice versa. It should go without saying that this is merely my personal opinion and everyone probably has their own rankings. I gave the top 9 books 5/5 and the last 3 still got 4/5, so it’s all quality. That’s why this list will start with the best, because there isn’t any bad. Sanderson at his worst is still one of the best fantasy writers. On the other hand, Sanderson doesn’t write bad books, only books that are not as fantastic as his best.
List of brandon sanderson books in order series#
On the one hand, this was easy because most of his books take place in different worlds with settings and plots that you are unlikely to confuse (unlike some authors who write books in one long series and all the books get muddled together in my head). I was thinking about his books lately and for fun I started comparing them and trying to rank them. Brandon Sanderson is a titan of the fantasy genre, one of the most innovative and popular writers and one of my favourite authors.
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