The Cosmere Start Here
What is part of the Cosmere?
Mistborn and Stormlight share a universe. The Wheel of Time does not. Find the boundary before choosing your first book.
The short answer
The Cosmere is the shared fictional universe of Brandon Sanderson’s interconnected epic fantasies, including Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, Elantris and Warbreaker. It is not the name for everything he has written.[1][2]
No plot spoilers or crossover identities.
What is outside it?
The Wheel of Time is not part of the Cosmere. Sanderson’s catalogue also separates the Cytoverse, including Skyward, and lists The Reckoners among his other books and series. Sharing an author does not make those settings one continuity.[1][2]
Sanderson offers Earth’s presence as a useful rule of thumb for spotting a non-Cosmere story. For a specific title, his official catalogue is a better check than guessing from a magic system or a familiar-sounding name.[1]
You do not need the whole map before starting
Sanderson’s starting guide recommends entering a series with its first book. Among his suggested Cosmere entry points are Mistborn: The Final Empire, Elantris and The Way of Kings. He explains that noticing the connections is not required to enjoy those stories individually.[3]
Our recommendation: choose one of those entry points, follow that series, and use the Cosmere guide when you want to explore the wider map. A chronology helps you locate stories; it does not oblige a new reader to start with the earliest fictional event.
Inside the chronology
Go straight to the story
Sources & verification
Scope and entry-point claims use the author’s own pages. The suggested way to use Story Order is editorial advice. This article does not assert an exact chronology between Cosmere worlds.
- Brandon Sanderson: What Is the Cosmere?
The shared-universe definition, Earth rule of thumb, and exclusion of The Wheel of Time.
Primary source · Checked - Brandon Sanderson: official books catalogue
The catalogue distinguishes Cosmere works from the Cytoverse and other series.
Primary source · Checked - Brandon Sanderson: Where do I start?
Suggested entry books and advice to read each series in sequence.
Primary source · Checked