10 Books to Read Next If You Love Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere Series

Among the recommendations connected this list, Brent Weeks’ “Lightbringer” bid has 1 of the astir unsocial magic systems and volition easy entreaty to Sanderson fans. This bid mostly follows 2 viewpoints, with the archetypal being Kip Guile, an improbable and alternatively un-heroic boy, who is thrust into the limelight and satellite of intrigue and an impending war. On the different extremity of the spectrum is Gavin Guile, a being capable to wield the full scope and colors of light, known arsenic the Prism, but with a acheronian and troubled past. The magic of this world, referred to arsenic Chromaturgy, allows immoderate individuals to utilize circumstantial ranges of the colour spectrum, including red, green, blue, and others - each with circumstantial properties to them - but astatine a cost. Using their ability, oregon drafting arsenic it's called, volition origin them to spell mad. The bid of 5 books features countless twists, turns, and uncovered secrets that volition pb some Kip and Gavin to question everything they’ve ever known. The Lightbringer bid is an casual proposal for anyone who devours Sanderson’s works.

Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb

Composed of aggregate arcs, Robin Hobb’s magical Realm of the Elderlings bid volition delight Sanderson fans and epic phantasy lovers successful general. While each trilogy is simply a self-contained adventure, recurring characters volition look and service arsenic the backbone of the series, including Fitz Chivalry and the Fool. The second of whom kept reminding maine of Hoid successful the champion ways arsenic I work done these books. Hobb manages to overgarment her scenes and characters successful a masterful way, and with immoderate magical quality improvement and surprises passim the people of the series, continuing to propulsion successful and enthrall readers for implicit 30 years now. Fans of Sanderson and the phantasy genre successful wide beryllium it to themselves to work Robin Hobb’s works.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

While it whitethorn not beryllium fantasy, Pierce Brown’s Red Rising sci-fi bid is filled with lore and characters arsenic beardown arsenic immoderate of Sanderson’s. While lacking immoderate existent magic system, successful the satellite of Red Rising, a societal caste strategy is successful spot wherever each idiosyncratic is calved into a circumstantial colour hierarchy, which dictates their relation successful society. Darrow, who the saga follows, was calved a lowly Red miner connected Mars and aft a bid of events, his way takes him retired of the tunnels of Mars and onto halfway signifier of a gyration and warfare that volition reshape their worlds. Darrow’s communicative is 1 of hardship, joy, and immoderate genuinely caput blowing twists and turns that would springiness adjacent the champion Sanderlanche a tally for its money. Red Rising tin beryllium incredibly acheronian and violent, but it is worthy the travel each the same.

For a much elaborate look astatine the bid and navigating it, we person a full speechmaking usher connected Pierce’s abstraction epic!

The Sun Eater Series by Christopher Ruocchio

“Journey earlier destination” - a enactment that volition resound successful the hearts of immoderate Stormlight fan, and 1 that fits nary amended introduction connected this database rather arsenic good arsenic Christopher Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series. Including elements that you could see “magic-like”, Sun Eater is different bid that fits much successful the subject fabrication class than phantasy but overmuch like, Red Rising, features immoderate astonishing characters, large twists, and a originative magic-esque strategy that should tickle that Sanderson itch. Following Hadrian Marlowe, the bid is written arsenic a benignant of memoire from the antheral himself, recounting the events that led to him being known arsenic “The Sun Eater”. Right from the commencement of the archetypal book, The Empire of Silence, you cognize wherever the communicative volition end, but this bid is simply a look astatine however it each came to be. With saccharine totally-not-lightsabers, immoderate awesome abstraction combat, and moments that near maine with tears flowing down my face, Ruocchio’s Sun Eater bid is each astir the journey.

Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time bid sits among the loftiest heights of the phantasy pantheon. The communicative of the One Power and the Dragon Reborn began backmost with the merchandise of The Eye of the World successful January of 1990 and would spell connected to span 14 books and a prequel novella. With a ample formed of characters you are bound to drawback onto immoderate and autumn successful with them and immoderate of incredibly absorbing in-universe history, and that large magical twist with the One Power that drives its antheral channelers mad, person helped propulsion readers successful for much than 30 years now. While including these books connected this database whitethorn beryllium a tiny cheat, considering Sanderson himself was brought connected to decorativeness the bid aft Jordan’s unfortunate passing, that shouldn’t detract fans of the Cosmere books from checking these out.

For a much indepth look, cheque retired our speechmaking guide.

The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan

You cognize however successful Sanderon’s Mistborn series, radical usage their peculiar allomancy abilities by ingesting and burning metals? Well if you swapped retired metallic for gunpowder and stuck the mounting successful thing akin to Era 2 - an aboriginal 19th-century benignant of European place, you’d person a beauteous coagulated thought of however chill Brian McClellan’s Powder Mage Trilogy is. The main bid takes spot successful the kingdom of Adro conscionable aft the large revolt takes spot arsenic the main characters effort to woody with this aftermath. Oh, and besides a small crippled to bring backmost the kingdom’s founder, an idiosyncratic that is fundamentally worshipped arsenic a deity themself, but I’m definite thing atrocious tin hap successful a onshore of wizards with guns, right? While the archetypal trilogy ended backmost successful 2015, a clump of novels and adjacent a 2nd trilogy, the Gods of Blood and Powder” person been released since, with a imaginable on-screen adaptation being successful the works since 2021.

Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch

Light connected its magic, but overflowing with quality charms, the Gentleman Bastards bid by Scott Lynch are large heist romps wearing a phantasy trenchcoat overtop. Following the exploits of crafty master-of-disguise and thief mastermind Locke Lamora alongside his champion person and the dual axe-wielding powerhouse Jean Tannen arsenic they get themselves in, out, and usually backmost into trouble, portion moving towards the large score. Some genuinely jovial moments and large quality penning are paired with bosom wrenching and brutal moments that marque mounting these books down conscionable arsenic hard to bash arsenic if you recovered yourself smack-dab successful the mediate of the acquainted Sanderlanche. This bid is inactive connected going, with lone a fewer of the books and immoderate sidestories presently released, but each escapade of Locke and Jean should delight fans of Sanderson, particularly if you emotion the Wax and Wayne epoch of Mistborn!

Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee

Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga has exploded successful popularity among phantasy fans since the merchandise of Jade City backmost successful 2017 acknowledgment to its peculiar blend of epic phantasy elements with seedy transgression and combat scenes that consciousness consecutive retired of a classical kung fu film. The 3 books travel the Kaul household successful a satellite wherever the Jade gemstone is capable to heighten the abilities of individuals known arsenic Green Bone Warriors. Setting itself isolated from others connected this list, taking spot connected an industrialized land successful a benignant of alternate post-World War II landscape, the Kaul household and their struggles against rival factions and overseas penetration inactive manages to seizure that aforesaid bosom and those tense moments that Sanderson fans devour up. It whitethorn swap platemail for suits and ties, but the Green Bone Saga is inactive a phantasy powerhouse astatine its core, and I’d emotion to spot a Greenbone Warrior time connected a Radiant anyday.

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin

N.K. Jemisin’s The Broke Earth trilogy is an affectional communicative of a parent and her girl weaved unneurotic with a magic strategy a spot similar Avatar’s Earthbending but connected ace steroids. Set successful a satellite wherever radical known arsenic Orogenese pat into and utilize and manipulate the some the vigor and vigor of seismic tectonic powers of the satellite itself to some forestall oregon origin monolithic earthquakes power the somesthesia surrounding them. Going truthful acold arsenic adjacent being capable to flash-freeze the and anyone other adjacent them arsenic they usage this power. The bid follows Essun, a middle-aged pistillate who has secretly kept her powers a concealed who sets disconnected to rescue her kid aft her hubby kidnaps them portion leaving the different dead. Over the people of these 3 books secrets of the world, Essun, and different dangers originate and results successful a fantastic and touching phantasy trilogy that delivers thing antithetic from galore others successful the genre, but with its unsocial magic strategy and impactful communicative should entreaty to Sanderson fans.

Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

The onshore of Pern and its dragonriders are astir arsenic synonymous with the phantasy genre arsenic wizards and magic spells, with Anne McCaffrey being its creator. This is simply a bid that volition person been astir for 60 years arsenic of adjacent year, and portion whitethorn deficiency immoderate modern expectations fans of the genre whitethorn expect, oregon find it leans a spot dense connected tropes, considering its bequest and erstwhile it release, Anne helped established immoderate of those precise tropes herself with Pern. Pulling from Brandon himself successful his (admittedly outdated) “What books would you suggest to your fans” nonfiction connected his website, Brandon simply says this astir Anne McCaffrey - “If you haven’t work her books I don’t cognize wherefore you’re speechmaking mine. You request to spell and work hers immediately!”. There you person it then, consecutive from the antheral himself.

It’s hard to ideate the romantasy genre producing a bid similar Fourth Wing without McCaffrey paving the mode years before.

Scott White is simply a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and usher coverage. Follow him connected X/Twitter oregon Bluesky.