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Brandon Winn Sanderson (born December 19, 1975) is an American author of
high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...
and
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
. He is best known for the Cosmere
fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...
, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the ''
Mistborn ''Mistborn'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson and published by Tor Books. The first trilogy, published between 2006 and 2008, consists of ''The Final Empire'', ''The Well of Ascension'', and ''Th ...
'' series and ''
The Stormlight Archive ''The Stormlight Archive'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson, planned to consist of ten novels. As of 2022, the series comprises four published novels and two novellas. The first novel, ''The Way of ...
'', are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several
young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
and juvenile series including ''
The Reckoners ''The Reckoners'' is a series of young adult superhero novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson. The series consists of ''Steelheart'' (2013), ''Firefight'' (2015), ''Calamity'' (2016) and ''Lux'' (2021). The series depicts a post-apo ...
'', the '' Skyward'' series, and the ''Alcatraz'' series. He is also known for finishing
Robert Jordan James Oliver Rigney Jr. (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007), better known by his pen name Robert Jordan," Robert Jordan" was the name of the protagonist in the 1940 Hemingway novel ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'', though this is not how the n ...
's
high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...
series ''
The Wheel of Time ''The Wheel of Time'' is a series of high fantasy novels by American author Robert Jordan, with Brandon Sanderson as a co-author for the final three novels. Originally planned as a six-book series, ''The Wheel of Time'' spans 14 volumes, in a ...
'' and has created several
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
fantasy series including ''White Sand'' and ''Dark One''. He created
Sanderson's Laws of Magic Brandon Winn Sanderson (born December 19, 1975) is an American author of high fantasy and science fiction. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the ''Mistborn'' series and ''The ...
and popularized the idea of "hard magic" and "soft magic" systems. In 2008, Sanderson started a podcast with author Dan Wells and cartoonist
Howard Tayler Howard V. Tayler (born February 29, 1968 in Florida) is the creator of the webcomic ''Schlock Mercenary''. He worked as a volunteer missionary for the LDS Church, then graduated from Brigham Young University. Using his degree in music compositi ...
called ''
Writing Excuses ''Writing Excuses'' is a podcast hosted by authors Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and author and web cartoonist Howard Tayler. Promoted as "fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart", the f ...
'', involving topics about creating genre writing and
webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...
s. In 2016, the American media company
DMG Entertainment DMG Entertainment is a global entertainment and media company. The studio's most recognizable films include ''Looper'' (2012), ''Iron Man 3'' (2013) and '' Bloodshot'' (2020). History Founded by Filmmaker Dan Mintz and Producer Bing Wu, DMG sta ...
licensed the movie rights to Sanderson's entire Cosmere universe, but the rights have since reverted back to Sanderson. Sanderson's March 2022 Kickstarter campaign became the most successful in history, finishing with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153.


Personal life


Early life and education

Brandon Sanderson was born on December 19, 1975, in
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
, the eldest of four children. Sanderson became a passionate reader of
high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...
novels while a teenager, and he made several early attempts at writing his own stories. After graduating from high school in 1994, he went to
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
(BYU) as a
biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
major. He took a two-year leave of absence from 1995 to 1997 to serve as a volunteer
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
and was assigned to serve in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. After completing his missionary service, Sanderson returned to BYU and changed his
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
to
English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
. While an undergraduate, Sanderson took a job as a
night auditor A night auditor works at night at the reception of a hotel. Description The night auditor typically handles both the duties of the front desk agent and some of the duties of the accounting department. This is necessitated by the fact that most ...
at a local hotel in
Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...
, as it allowed him to write while working. One of Sanderson's roommates at BYU was
Ken Jennings Kenneth Wayne Jennings III (born May 23, 1974) is an American game show host, author, and former game show contestant. He is the highest-earning American game show contestant, having won money on five different game shows, including $4,522,70 ...
, who nearly ten years later became famous during his 74-game win streak on the American game show ''
Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given genera ...
''. Sanderson graduated from BYU in 2000 with a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
. He continued on as a graduate student, receiving an
M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in English with an emphasis in
creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...
in 2004. While at BYU, Sanderson was on the staff of ''
Leading Edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...
'', a semi-professional
speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...
magazine published by the university, and served as its editor-in-chief for one year. In 2006, Sanderson married Emily Bushman, an English, Spanish, and
ESL English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...
teacher and fellow BYU alumna who later became his business manager. They have three sons and reside in
American Fork, Utah American Fork is a city in north-central Utah County, Utah, United States, at the foot of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Range, north from Utah Lake. This city is thirty-two miles southeast of Salt Lake City. It is part of the Provo–Ore ...
.


Career


Early writing career

Sanderson wrote consistently throughout his undergraduate and graduate studies, and by 2003 he had written twelve novels, though no publisher had accepted any of them for publication. While in the middle of a graduate program at BYU, he was contacted by
Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...
editor Moshe Feder, who wanted to acquire one of his books. Sanderson had submitted the manuscript of his sixth novel, ''
Elantris ''Elantris'' is a fantasy novel written by American fantasy and science fiction writer Brandon Sanderson. The book was published on April 21, 2005, by Tor Books and was Sanderson's first published book. The book gained generally positive reviews, ...
'', a year and a half earlier. ''Elantris'' was published by
Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...
on April 21, 2005, to generally positive reviews. This was followed in 2006 by '' Mistborn: The Final Empire'', the first book in his ''Mistborn'' fantasy trilogy, in which "allomancers"—people with the ability to 'burn' metals and alloys after ingesting them—gain enhanced senses and control over powerful supernatural forces. He published the second book of the ''Mistborn'' series ''
The Well of Ascension ''Mistborn: The Well of Ascension'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on August 21, 2007, by Tor Books and is the second novel in the '' Mistborn trilogy''. It is preceded by ''The Final Empire'' ...
'' in 2007. Later that year, Sanderson published the children's novel ''
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians ''Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians'' is a juvenile novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson, published in October 2007 by Scholastic Press. The book is named after its main character, Alcatraz Smedry. Plot summary Alcatraz Smedry, ...
'', about a boy named Alcatraz with a talent for breaking things. Alcatraz confronts a group of evil librarians who are bent on taking over the world. The first of his " laws of magic" were first published in 2007, with the second and third published in 2012 and 2013 (respectively). In 2008, the third and final book in the Mistborn trilogy was published, titled ''
The Hero of Ages ''Mistborn: The Hero of Ages'' is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on October 14, 2008, by Tor Books and is the third novel in the ''Mistborn'' trilogy. It is preceded by ''The Well of Ascens ...
'', as well as the second book in the Alcatraz series, titled ''
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones ''Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones'' is a juvenile fiction novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson, published in November 2008 by Scholastic Press. It is preceded by ''Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians''. Plot summary ''Alcatraz ...
''. That same year, he started the
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
''
Writing Excuses ''Writing Excuses'' is a podcast hosted by authors Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and author and web cartoonist Howard Tayler. Promoted as "fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart", the f ...
'' with
Howard Tayler Howard V. Tayler (born February 29, 1968 in Florida) is the creator of the webcomic ''Schlock Mercenary''. He worked as a volunteer missionary for the LDS Church, then graduated from Brigham Young University. Using his degree in music compositi ...
and Dan Wells.


''The Wheel of Time''

Sanderson rose to prominence in late 2007 when
Harriet McDougal Harriet Popham McDougal Rigney (born August 4, 1939) is an editor who worked on several best-selling fantasy books, including the ''Wheel of Time'' series written by her husband, Robert Jordan. Jordan often claimed that all major female characters ...
, the wife and editor of author
Robert Jordan James Oliver Rigney Jr. (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007), better known by his pen name Robert Jordan," Robert Jordan" was the name of the protagonist in the 1940 Hemingway novel ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'', though this is not how the n ...
, chose Sanderson to complete the final books in Jordan's epic fantasy series ''
The Wheel of Time ''The Wheel of Time'' is a series of high fantasy novels by American author Robert Jordan, with Brandon Sanderson as a co-author for the final three novels. Originally planned as a six-book series, ''The Wheel of Time'' spans 14 volumes, in a ...
'' after Jordan's death. McDougal asked Sanderson to finish the series after being deeply impressed by his first ''
Mistborn ''Mistborn'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson and published by Tor Books. The first trilogy, published between 2006 and 2008, consists of ''The Final Empire'', ''The Well of Ascension'', and ''Th ...
'' novel, ''
The Final Empire ''Mistborn: The Final Empire'', also known simply as ''Mistborn'' or ''The Final Empire'', is a fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on July 17, 2006, by Tor Books and is the first novel in the ''Mistborn' ...
''.
Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...
made the announcement on December 7, 2007. After reviewing what was necessary to complete the series, Sanderson and Tor announced on March 30, 2009, that a final three books would be published instead of just one. The first of these, '' The Gathering Storm'', was published on October 27, 2009, and reached the number-one spot on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for hardcover fiction. ''
Towers of Midnight ''Towers of Midnight'' is a fantasy novel by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. It is the sequel to the novel '' The Gathering Storm'', and the 13th book in the Wheel of Time series. The novel is the second part of ''A Memory of Light'', Rober ...
'', the second-to-last ''
Wheel of Time The wheel of time or wheel of history (also known as ''Kalachakra'') is a concept found in several religious traditions and philosophies, notably religions of Indian origin such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, which regard time as c ...
'' book, was published just over a year after '' The Gathering Storm'' on November 2, 2010, debuting at number one on the bestseller list. In early 2013, the series was completed with the publication of ''
A Memory of Light ''A Memory of Light'' is the 14th and final book of the fantasy series ''The Wheel of Time'', written by American authors Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, and published by Tor books. Originally expected to have been published around March ...
''.


Career

In 2009, Tor Books published ''
Warbreaker ''Warbreaker'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on June 9, 2009 by Tor Books. Sanderson released several rewrites of ''Warbreaker'' under a Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 US), one chap ...
'', which originally appeared serially on Sanderson's website while he was writing the novel from 2006 to 2009. In the same year, the third ''Alcatraz'' book was published, titled '' Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia''. In 2010, Sanderson published ''
The Way of Kings ''The Way of Kings'' is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson and the first book in '' The Stormlight Archive'' series. The novel was published on August 31, 2010, by Tor Books. ''The Way of Kings'' consists of one p ...
,'' the first of a planned ten-book series called ''
The Stormlight Archive ''The Stormlight Archive'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson, planned to consist of ten novels. As of 2022, the series comprises four published novels and two novellas. The first novel, ''The Way of ...
''. It achieved the number seven slot on the ''New York Times'' hardcover fiction bestseller list. The fourth Alcatraz novel, ''
Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens This is the bibliography of American fantasy and science fiction writer Brandon Sanderson. Cosmere Many of Sanderson's works are set on different planets in an overarching universe known as the Cosmere. They are often subtly connected, with so ...
'', followed soon after. In October 2011, he finished a novella e-book, '' Infinity Blade: Awakening'', based on the
action role-playing An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...
,
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
''
Infinity Blade ''Infinity Blade'' is an action role-playing game developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games and released through the Apple App Store on December 9, 2010. It was the first iOS video game to run on the Unreal Engine. In the game, the unname ...
'', developed by
Chair Entertainment Chair Entertainment Group, LLC (stylized as ChAIR) is an American video game developer based in Salt Lake City. The company was acquired by Epic Games in 2008. History Chair Entertainment was formed in 2005 by Donald Mustard and Geremy Mustard ...
and
Epic Games Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...
. In November 2011, he published a sequel to the ''Mistborn'' trilogy, '' Mistborn: The Alloy of Law''. It was originally planned as a standalone novel set about 300 years after the original trilogy, but it was later expanded into a four-book series. It debuted at number nine on the combined print and e-book ''New York Times'' Best Seller list. On August 31, 2012, Sanderson published a science fiction novella entitled ''
Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
,'' followed by another short work titled ''
The Emperor's Soul ''The Emperor's Soul'' is a fantasy novella written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was first published in November 2012 by Tachyon Publications. It won the 2013 Hugo Award for best novella. The novella is included in the 2016 '' Arcanum ...
''. In 2013, Sanderson published two new young adult series. These series included '' The Rithmatist'' and the first of ''
The Reckoners ''The Reckoners'' is a series of young adult superhero novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson. The series consists of ''Steelheart'' (2013), ''Firefight'' (2015), ''Calamity'' (2016) and ''Lux'' (2021). The series depicts a post-apo ...
'' series titled '' Steelheart''. In March 2014, ''
Words of Radiance ''Words of Radiance'' is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson and the second book in ''The Stormlight Archive'' series. The novel was published on March 4, 2014, by Tor Books. ''Words of Radiance'' consists of one p ...
'', the second book in ''The Stormlight Archive'', was published. Later that year,
Subterranean Press Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Burton, Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. In addition to publishing novels, short stor ...
published the second novella in the ''Legion'' series, '' Legion: Skin Deep''. It was a preliminary nominee for the 2015
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...
s, but did not make the final ballot. In January 2015, the second book of ''
The Reckoners ''The Reckoners'' is a series of young adult superhero novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson. The series consists of ''Steelheart'' (2013), ''Firefight'' (2015), ''Calamity'' (2016) and ''Lux'' (2021). The series depicts a post-apo ...
'', titled '' Firefight'', was published. ''Firefight'' won the 2015
Whitney Award The Whitney Awards are awards given annually for novels by LDS authors. Established in 2007, they are named after Orson F. Whitney, a prominent early member of the LDS Church. There are several categories for which novels may be nominated. The Whi ...
in the Best Young Adult—Speculative category. It also placed eighth in the Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction category of the
Goodreads Choice Awards The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, an ...
and was a finalist for the 2015
AML Award The AML Awards are given annually by the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) to the best work "by, for, and about Mormons." They are juried awards, chosen by a panel of judges. Citations for many of the awards can be found on the AML website. T ...
in the Young Adult Novel category. Nine months later, Sanderson published '' Mistborn: Shadows of Self'' as a direct sequel to ''The Alloy of Law''. The novel won the 2017
Neffy Award The National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F or NFFF) is one of the world's oldest science fiction fandom organizations. The organization was founded in April 1941 when all science fiction, horror fiction, horror, and fantasy literature was lumped into ...
in the Best Novel category, placed third in the 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards in the Fantasy category, was a finalist in the Best Speculative Fiction category of the 2015 Whitney Awards, and was a preliminary nomineed for the 2016 Gemmell Legend Award. On November 16, 2015, Sanderson's agency (JABberwocky Literary Agency) announced that Sanderson officially sold over 7 million copies worldwide. On January 26, 2016, '' Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning'' was published as the sequel to ''Shadows of Self''. On February 16, 2016, the third and final book of the
Reckoners ''The Reckoners'' is a series of young adult superhero novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson. The series consists of ''Steelheart'' (2013), ''Firefight'' (2015), ''Calamity'' (2016) and ''Lux'' (2021). The series depicts a post-ap ...
trilogy, titled '' Calamity'', was published. In June 2016, Sanderson's first
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
'' White Sand''—written with Rik Hoskin—was released. The series is planned as a trilogy. The graphic novels are based on an original manuscript by Sanderson. On September 6, 2016, the fifth ''Alcatraz'' book was published, called ''
Alcatraz Versus the Dark Talent ''The Dark Talent'' is a juvenile fiction novel written by the multiple award-winning repeated New York Times #1 bestselling creator of the most-funded Kickstarter campaign in history, American author Brandon Sanderson, published in September 2016 ...
''.
DMG Entertainment DMG Entertainment is a global entertainment and media company. The studio's most recognizable films include ''Looper'' (2012), ''Iron Man 3'' (2013) and '' Bloodshot'' (2020). History Founded by Filmmaker Dan Mintz and Producer Bing Wu, DMG sta ...
optioned the Cosmere in 2016 for film and television. On November 22, 2016, an anthology of Cosmere short stories and novellas was published, titled '' Arcanum Unbounded: A Cosmere Collection''. The third book in ''
The Stormlight Archive ''The Stormlight Archive'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson, planned to consist of ten novels. As of 2022, the series comprises four published novels and two novellas. The first novel, ''The Way of ...
'', '' Oathbringer'', was published on November 14, 2017. The first book of the ''Defiant'' series, '' Skyward'', was published on November 6, 2018. The second book in the series, '' Starsight'', was released on November 26, 2019. In September 2020, a collaboration project with author
Mary Robinette Kowal Mary Robinette Kowal (; born February 8, 1969) is an American author and puppeteer. Originally a puppeteer by primary trade after receiving a bachelor's degree in art education, she became art director for science fiction magazines and by 2010 was ...
called ''The Original'', was released. ''
Rhythm of War ''Rhythm of War'' is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson and the fourth book in ''The Stormlight Archive'' series. It was published by Tor Books on November 17, 2020. ''Rhythm of War'' consists of one prologue, 117 c ...
'', the fourth Stormlight novel, was published on November 17, 2020. In 2020, Sanderson's agency updated his number of copies sold to over 18 million worldwide, and in early 2021, to over 21 million. In March 2021, Brandon Sanderson announced a "Weekly Update" in his YouTube channel which will give updates on his current projects every week. On May 26, Brandon Sanderson revealed the title and cover for "Cytonic", the third book of his Skyward series, which was published on November 23, 2021. Sanderson started a new podcast in June 2021 called 'Intentionally Blank', with friend and fellow science fiction author Dan Wells. Sanderson announced in March 2022 that, over the previous two pandemic years, he had secretly written five otherwise-unannounced books (four full adult novels and a shorter junior novel). The full novels (three of which are set in the Cosmere) will be made available through a Kickstarter subscription that will release them quarterly through 2023. The Kickstarter campaign was highly successful, raising $15 million in its first 24 hours and over $20 million within three days, becoming the all-time most successful campaign. The Kickstarter campaign finished with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153. Before the conclusion of his Kickstarter campaign, Sanderson also backed every other publishing project on Kickstarter, for a total of 316 projects. Sanderson also collaborated with
Unknown Worlds Entertainment Unknown Worlds Entertainment is an American video game developer based in San Francisco. The studio is best known for the ''Natural Selection (video game), Natural Selection'' and ''Subnautica'' series. In October 2021, the studio was acquired by ...
to create the lore and setting for the video game ''
Moonbreaker ''Moonbreaker'' is an upcoming turn-based strategy video game developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment and published by Krafton. The game was released via early access on September 29, 2022 for Microsoft Windows. The game was described by the ...
'', which was released via
early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...
in September 2022.


Cosmere

The Cosmere is the name of the universe in which ''
Elantris ''Elantris'' is a fantasy novel written by American fantasy and science fiction writer Brandon Sanderson. The book was published on April 21, 2005, by Tor Books and was Sanderson's first published book. The book gained generally positive reviews, ...
'', ''
Mistborn ''Mistborn'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson and published by Tor Books. The first trilogy, published between 2006 and 2008, consists of ''The Final Empire'', ''The Well of Ascension'', and ''Th ...
'', ''
Warbreaker ''Warbreaker'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on June 9, 2009 by Tor Books. Sanderson released several rewrites of ''Warbreaker'' under a Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 US), one chap ...
'', ''
The Stormlight Archive ''The Stormlight Archive'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson, planned to consist of ten novels. As of 2022, the series comprises four published novels and two novellas. The first novel, ''The Way of ...
'', '' White Sand'', and stories contained in '' Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection'' are all set. This idea came from Sanderson's desire to create an epic-length series without requiring readers to buy a ridiculous number of books. Because of that, he hides connections to his other works within each book, creating a "hidden epic". He has estimated that the Cosmere sequence could conclude with at least 40 books. The story of the Cosmere is about a mysterious being called Adonalsium, who existed on a world known as Yolen. Adonalsium was killed by a group of at least eighteen conspirators, causing its power to shatter into sixteen different Shards, each of which bears immense power. Sixteen of those people then took these Shards and traveled to new worlds, populating them with different systems of magic. In one case, the Shards ''Ruin'' and ''Preservation'' worked together to actually create a planet and its people (Scadrial, as featured in ''
Mistborn ''Mistborn'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson and published by Tor Books. The first trilogy, published between 2006 and 2008, consists of ''The Final Empire'', ''The Well of Ascension'', and ''Th ...
''). Each Shard has an Intent, such as ''Ambition'' or ''Honor'', and a Vessel's personality is changed over time to bring them more in-line with their Intent. ''Odium'' has killedor Splinteredseveral shards. On Sel, he splintered ''Devotion'' and ''Dominion'', accidentally creating the Dor, from which Seons and Skaze have emerged. On Roshar, ''Odium'' splintered ''Honor'' and brought about the Everstorm and the True Desolation. He has also Splintered ''Ambition'', in the Threnody system. A man known as Hoid is seen or mentioned in most Cosmere books. He travels the so-called Shardworlds, using the people of those worlds to further an unknown agenda.


Sanderson's Laws of Magic

The idea of hard magic and soft magic was popularized by Sanderson for world building and creating magic systems in fictional settings. The terminology of hard and soft originate from
hard and soft science Hard science and soft science are colloquial terms used to compare scientific fields on the basis of perceived methodological rigor, exactitude, and objectivity. Roughly speaking, the formal sciences & natural sciences are considered "hard", whe ...
s, which lends itself towards
hard science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's ''Islands of Space'' in the Novemb ...
and
soft science fiction Soft science fiction, or soft SF, is a category of science fiction with two different definitions, defined in contrast to hard science fiction. It can refer to science fiction that explores the "soft" sciences (e.g. psychology, political scienc ...
. Both terms are approximate ways of characterizing two ends of a spectrum. Hard magic systems follow specific rules, the magic is controlled and explained to the reader in the narrative detailing the mechanics behind the way the magic 'works' and can be used for building settings that revolve around the magic system. Soft magic systems may not have clearly defined rules or limitations, or they may provide limited exposition regarding their workings. They are used to create a sense of wonder to the reader. Sanderson's three laws of magic are creative writing guidelines that can be used to create magic systems for fantasy stories: # An author's ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic. # Weaknesses, limits and costs are more interesting than powers. # The author should expand on what is already a part of the magic system before something entirely new is added, as this may otherwise entirely change how the magic system fits into the fictional world. Additionally, there is a zeroth law: #
  • Always err on the side of what's awesome.

  • Teaching

    Sanderson is adjunct faculty at
    Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
    , teaching a creative writing course once per year. Sanderson also participates in the weekly podcast ''
    Writing Excuses ''Writing Excuses'' is a podcast hosted by authors Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and author and web cartoonist Howard Tayler. Promoted as "fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart", the f ...
    '' with authors Dan Wells,
    Mary Robinette Kowal Mary Robinette Kowal (; born February 8, 1969) is an American author and puppeteer. Originally a puppeteer by primary trade after receiving a bachelor's degree in art education, she became art director for science fiction magazines and by 2010 was ...
    , and web cartoonist
    Howard Tayler Howard V. Tayler (born February 29, 1968 in Florida) is the creator of the webcomic ''Schlock Mercenary''. He worked as a volunteer missionary for the LDS Church, then graduated from Brigham Young University. Using his degree in music compositi ...
    . He began hosting the podcast ''Intentionally Blank'' with Dan Wells in June 2021, where they discuss random things they enjoy.


    Bibliography


    Selected awards and honors

    Sanderson has been nominated for and also won multiple awards for his various works. See ''
    Writing Excuses ''Writing Excuses'' is a podcast hosted by authors Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and author and web cartoonist Howard Tayler. Promoted as "fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart", the f ...
    '' for additional awards and nominations.


    See also

    *
    Magic (game terminology) Magic or mana is an attribute assigned to characters within a role-playing or video game that indicates their power to use special magical abilities or "spells". Magic is usually measured in magic points or mana points, shortened as MP. Different ...
    *
    Magic system Magic System is an Ivory Coast, Ivorian coupé-décalé band from Abidjan. It was founded in 1996 and comprises Asalfo, Goude, Tino, and Manadja. Magic System's recordings in the Zouglou dance style have featured in the charts throughout Africa ...


    Notes


    Explanatory notes


    Citations


    External links

    * *
    Reddit user mistborn
    - Brandon answers questions and participates on reddit using the name "mistborn"
    Brandon Sanderson on Goodreads

    Brandon Sanderson
    at the MLCA Database
    17th Shard
    - Official fansite of Brandon Sanderson
    The Coppermind
    – Fan-made wiki for all of Brandon's Sanderson's books {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderson, Brandon 1975 births 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists American children's writers American fantasy writers American male novelists American Mormon missionaries in South Korea American science fiction writers Brigham Young University alumni Brigham Young University faculty Latter Day Saints from Nebraska Latter Day Saints from Utah Living people Novelists from Utah People from American Fork, Utah The Wheel of Time Writers from Lincoln, Nebraska