Brandon Sanderson Popular Books
Brandon Sanderson Biography & Facts
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 Stormlight Archive, are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series, and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan's high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created several graphic novel fantasy series, including White Sand and Dark One. He created Sanderson's Laws of Magic 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 called Writing Excuses, involving topics about creating genre writing and webcomics. In 2016, the American media company DMG Entertainment 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 Winn Sanderson was born on December 19, 1975, in Lincoln, Nebraska, the eldest of four children. Sanderson was a "reluctant reader" as a child, but became passionate for the medium after being given a copy of Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly when he was 14. He made several early attempts at writing his own stories. After graduating from high school in 1994, he went to Brigham Young University (BYU) as a biochemistry major. He took a two-year leave of absence from 1995 to 1997 to serve as a volunteer missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was assigned to serve in South Korea. After completing his missionary service, Sanderson returned to BYU and changed his major to English literature. While an undergraduate, Sanderson took a job as a night auditor at a local hotel in Provo, Utah, as it allowed him to write while working. One of Sanderson's roommates at BYU was Ken Jennings, who nearly ten years later became famous during his 74-game win streak on the American game show Jeopardy!. Sanderson graduated from BYU in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts. He continued on as a graduate student, receiving an M.A. in English with an emphasis in creative writing in 2004. While at BYU, Sanderson was on the staff of Leading Edge, a semi-professional speculative fiction 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 teacher and fellow BYU alumna who later became his business manager. They have three sons and reside in American Fork, Utah. Career Early writing career Sanderson wrote consistently throughout his undergraduate and graduate studies; 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 editor Moshe Feder, who wanted to acquire one of his books. Sanderson had submitted the manuscript of his sixth novel, Elantris, a year and a half earlier. Elantris was published by Tor Books 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 in 2007. Later that year, Sanderson published the children's novel Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, 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, as well as the second book in the Alcatraz series, titled Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones. That same year, he started the podcast Writing Excuses with Howard Tayler and Dan Wells. The Wheel of Time Sanderson rose to prominence in late 2007 when Harriet McDougal, the wife and editor of author Robert Jordan, chose Sanderson to complete the final books in Jordan's epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time after Jordan's death. McDougal asked Sanderson to finish the series after being deeply impressed by his first Mistborn novel, The Final Empire. Tor Books 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, the second-to-last The Wheel of Time 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. Career In 2009, Tor Books published Warbreaker, 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 first of a planned ten-book series called The Stormlight Archive. It achieved the number seven slot on the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. The fourth Alcatraz novel, Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens, followed soon after. In October 2011, he finished a novella e-book, Infinity Blade: Awakening, based on the action role-playing, iOS video game Infinity Blade, developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games. 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, followed by another short work titled The Emperor's Soul. In 2013, Sanderson published two new young adult series. These series included The Rithmatist and the first of The Reckoners series titled Steelheart. In March 2014, Words of Radiance, the second book in The Stormlight Archive, was published. Later that year, Subterranean Press published the second novella in the Legion series, Legion: Skin Deep. It was a preliminary nominee for the 2015 Hug.... Discover the Brandon Sanderson popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Brandon Sanderson books.
Best Seller Brandon Sanderson Books of 2024
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Chaos Queen - Duskfall
Christopher HusbergShortlisted for the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer at the Gemmell Awards 2017Pulled from a frozen sea, pierced by arrows and close to death, Knot has no memory of who ...
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Kings of the Wyld
Nicholas EamesA retired group of legendary mercenaries get the band back together for one last impossible mission in this awardwinning debut epic fantasy."Fantastic, funny, ferocious." Sam Syke...
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Origins of The Wheel of Time
Michael Livingston“Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal.” The New York Times on The Wheel of Time® seriesExplore neverbeforeseen insights into the Wheel of Time, including: ...
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Soul of the World
David MealingStarvation and corruption have pushed the citizens of the New Sarrisant to the brink of rebellion. It will take only a spark to tip the scales towards violence, but as the Great Ba...
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Steelheart
Brandon SandersonThe #1 New York Times bestseller from Brandon Sanderson, the author of Oathbringer, coauthor of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestsel...
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The Will of the Many
James IslingtonAt the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and worldchanging secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius...
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Defiant
Brandon SandersonFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes the final book in an epic series about a girl who will travel beyond the stars to save the world she loves fro...
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The Two-Faced Queen
Nick MartellThe Hollows is on the brink of civil war as brother and sister vie for the throne in the second novel of the trilogy which Brandon Sanderson called “excellent.”“Simply put, this se...
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The Kingdom of Liars
Nick MartellIn this “excellent fantasy debut, with engaging worldbuilding and a good mix between action and character” (Brandon Sanderson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Stormligh...
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A Torch Against the Night
Sabaa TahirTHE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEROne of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time Book two in the New York Times bestselling seriesA USA Today bestselle...
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The Voyage of the Forgotten
Nick MartellIn this twistingly beautiful and epically thrilling conclusion to the fantasy trilogy The Legacy of the Mercenary King, Michael, the infamous Kingkiller, and Serena, the Hollow Que...
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The Rage of Dragons
Evan WinterGame of Thrones meets Gladiator in this blockbuster debut epic fantasy about a world caught in an eternal war, and the young man who will become his people's only hope for survival...
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Skyward
Brandon SandersonA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!From Brandon Sanderson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reckoners series, Words of Radiance, and the internationally bestselling Mistbor...
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Calamity
Brandon SandersonOrder the sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling novel Firefight today!From the bestselling author of the Mistborn series and Words of Radiance comes Calamity, the final book ...
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Valley of the Birdtail
Andrew Stobo Sniderman & Douglas SandersonTHE NATIONAL BESTSELLERWinner – 2023 Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book PrizeWinner – 2023 John W. Dafoe Book PrizeWinner – 2023 High Plains Book Award for Indigenous Wri...
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Starsight
Brandon SandersonThe #1 New York Times bestseller!From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reckoners series, the Mistborn trilogy, and the Stormlight Archive comes the second book in an...
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La tierra errante
Cixin LiuPrimera antología de relatos del autor chino que ha deslumbrado a cinco millones de lectores con El problema de los tres cuerpos.El sol se está muriendo, y la Tierra, consumida por...
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Conan - Blood of the Serpent
S. M. StirlingThe pulsepounding return of Conan, the most iconic fantasy hero in popular culture, with a brandnew standalone novel by New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling, tied direct...
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The Stormcaller
Tom LloydIn a land ruled by prophecy and the whims of Gods, a young man finds himself at the heart of a war he barely understands, wielding powers he may never be able to controlIsak is a w...
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Dangerous Women
George R.R. Martin & Gardner DozoisThe World Fantasy Awardwinning collection of stories featuring the best and the bravest females across genre fiction.All new and original to this volume, the 21 stories in Dangerou...
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The Malevolent Seven
Sebastien de CastellFrom the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS: seven war mages with dark pasts must come together to fight an unknown enemy but the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine . . ....
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Lord of Secrets
Breanna Teintze'I loved it . . . A perfect mix of traditional and new' Charlie N. Holmberg, author of The Paper Magician'Deftly plotted and great fun' The GuardianMagic is poison. Secrets are pow...
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The Way of Shadows
Brent WeeksFrom NYT bestselling author Brent Weeks comes the first novel in his breakout fantasy trilogy in which a young boy trains under the city's most legendary and feared assassin, Durzo...
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Soulkeeper
David DalglishThe Witcher meets D&D in the first book of this epic fantasy adventure where a warrior priest must suddenly protect his world from monsters that were once only legend from USA ...
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Upon A Burning Throne
Ashok K BankerFrom international sensation Ashok K. Banker, pioneer of the fantasy genre in India, comes the first book in a groundbreaking, epic fantasy series inspired by the ancient Indian cl...