Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere Reading Order

Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere spans a vast timeline covering thousands of years across multiple planets. The chronological sequence starts with the Shattering of Adonalsium, continues through early works like The Sunlit Man (set approximately 7000 years before the “modern” era), and reaches the present-day convergence where Elantris, Warbreaker, Mistborn Era 1, and The Stormlight Archive all happen within roughly the same timeframe.

Mistborn Era 2 takes place 300+ years later. This timeline helps Cosmere fans understand how worldhoppers and Shards connect, though new readers should probably follow publication order for their first read-through.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this article:

• What’s included on the Cosmere timeline
• Where to begin reading the series
• The Shattering and its immediate consequences
• Major eras across different Cosmere worlds
• How events connect across multiple planets
• Future space-age developments in the universe

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What’s on the Cosmere Timeline?

The Cosmere timeline tracks events across multiple interconnected series and standalone works, each set on different planets within the same universe. Here’s what you’ll find:

• Mistborn Series – Divided into distinct eras, this series follows Scadrial through revolutionary upheaval, divine transformation, and industrial advancement across thousands of years.
  
• The Stormlight Archive – Set on Roshar, these massive novels chronicle the True Desolation and the return of the Knights Radiant approximately 10,000 years after the Shattering.
  
• Elantris and Related Works – Taking place on Sel, these stories explore a world where divine powers were violently Splintered, creating unstable magic systems with geographical limitations.
  
• Warbreaker – Set on Nalthis, this standalone novel occurs in the “modern” Cosmere era and introduces magic based on Breath and color.
  
• White Sand – This graphic novel adaptation takes place on Taldain and showcases one of Sanderson’s earlier manuscripts brought to visual life.
  
• Shorter Works and Secret Projects – Including novellas like Edgedancer and Dawnshard, plus the Secret Projects series featuring standalone worlds like Tress’s oceanic adventure and Yumi’s dream-painting realm.
  

While I make occasional exceptions, here are the guidelines I use for this timeline. I don’t split up individual books or stories—if something spans multiple time periods, it’s placed where it ends.

For frame narratives (where most events occur in flashbacks), I typically use the historical setting rather than the frame, though I adjust based on how much the frame reveals. Some placements are educated estimates since Sanderson hasn’t revealed exact dates for everything. Please reach out if you spot any major errors.

Where Do I Start Reading the Cosmere?

Start with Mistborn: The Final Empire. It’s the most accessible entry point—shorter than Stormlight books, self-contained enough to work alone, yet connected enough to introduce you to how the Cosmere operates.

The magic system is straightforward, the heist plot moves quickly, and you’ll grasp the concept of Shards without needing prior knowledge.

After finishing the original Mistborn trilogy, you have options. Warbreaker works well as a palate cleanser before diving into The Stormlight Archive.

You can also read Elantris to see Sanderson’s debut novel, though it’s rougher than his later work. The Emperor’s Soul, a novella set on Sel, showcases some of his finest writing in a compact package.

Save The Stormlight Archive until you’ve read at least a few other Cosmere books. These books are massive, complex, and reward readers who’ve explored other works.

Characters and objects from earlier books appear in significant roles. Mistborn Era 2 (the Wax and Wayne series) works best after you’ve read both Mistborn Era 1 and at least the first two Stormlight books.

Don’t stress about reading everything chronologically. Publication order works perfectly fine and lets you experience Sanderson’s growth as a writer. The chronological connections are bonuses for fans, not requirements for understanding individual stories.

Cosmere Timeline of In-Universe Events and Eras

The Pre-Shattering Era: The Age of Adonalsium

Before the current Cosmere existed, a single godlike entity called Adonalsium ruled the universe. This primordial being created most of the major planets and celestial bodies that would later become central to post-Shattering history, including the entire Rosharan system.

Yolen emerged as the most important world during this period, serving as humanity’s birthplace and home to two other sapient species: dragons and the Sho Del.

Technology remained primitive during Adonalsium’s reign. Yolen achieved bronze-working capabilities while other worlds stayed in stone-age conditions.

Magic existed but manifested differently than the Shard-based systems that would develop later. The Dawnshards, powerful artifacts that would eventually destroy Adonalsium, may have originated during this era as tools designed to manipulate Investiture—the fundamental magical energy of the Cosmere.

The pre-Shattering period wasn’t peaceful. Evidence suggests Yolen hosted other gods besides Adonalsium, some of whom died during this era.

At least one failed attempt to destroy Adonalsium occurred before the successful conspiracy. Worldhopping existed but remained uncommon, indicating interplanetary connections without systematized travel networks.

This era ended when sixteen individuals from all three Yolen species conspired to destroy Adonalsium. Their motivations varied—some sought power, others believed killing the entity was the only solution to problems with its rule.

The stage was set for the most transformative event in Cosmere history.

The Shattering: The New Cosmere Begins (Year 0 AS)

The Shattering is Year Zero of the modern Cosmere. Sixteen conspirators used the Dawnshards to create a weapon that “undid” Adonalsium, splitting the entity into sixteen distinct Shards.

Each Shard embodied a specific aspect of the original deity’s power—Preservation, Ruin, Honor, Cultivation, Odium, and eleven others whose names remain partially unknown.

The distribution of Shards wasn’t random. Connection-based compatibility determined which conspirators received which Shards, with individuals gravitating toward powers that resonated with their nature.

Tanavast, who became Honor’s Vessel, participated because he believed the Shattering was necessary for Adonalsium’s own good. According to later accounts, Adonalsium didn’t resist its destruction, possibly to prevent greater catastrophe.

Using the weapon destroyed it in the process, though remnants survived in the Physical Realm and granted Hoid his immortality. This detail links one of the Cosmere’s most important figures directly to the foundational event that transformed the universe.

All Investiture throughout the Cosmere became tied to one of the sixteen Shards, fundamentally altering how magic would function. Every magic system that subsequently developed would derive its characteristics from whichever Shard influenced that particular planet.

The Vessels agreed to respect each other’s territories and avoid direct conflict—an agreement that would prove fragile.

The Early Post-Shattering Period (c. 0 – 3,500 Years AS)

The newly-created Shards dispersed across the Cosmere to claim their domains. Some chose to work in pairs while others claimed solitary territories.

Honor and Cultivation traveled together to Roshar around 350 years after the Shattering. Ruin and Preservation partnered to create Scadrial, showing how opposing Intents could collaborate when goals aligned.

The first major conflict happened on Sel, where Odium orchestrated the destruction of both Devotion and Dominion within the first two thousand years. Rayse’s aggressive campaign set a pattern that would continue throughout Cosmere history.

The Splintering of these Shards deeply affected Sel’s magic systems, creating the complex geographical and political limitations that define Elantrian magic.

A Shard created Nalthis during this period, directly fashioning its human population rather than letting it evolve naturally. This explains the hereditary nature of Breath and Nalthian magic’s unique characteristics.

Scadrial’s creation was one of the most ambitious collaborative projects between Shards. Ruin and Preservation worked together to build an entire ecosystem modeled after Yolen’s non-fain elements.

These creative projects set the foundation for each world’s magical, ecological, and cultural future. The Shards took relatively active roles in guiding their chosen worlds, setting precedents for divine intervention that would shape civilizations for millennia.

The Classical Era and The First Desolations (c. 3,500 – 6,000 Years AS)

Around 3,500 years after the Shattering, humans arrived on Roshar from their dying homeworld of Ashyn. Odium had already reached Ashyn approximately 2,600 years after the Shattering, corrupting the world that Honor was attempting to protect.

The human exodus was one of the first major interplanetary migrations in Cosmere history.

Humans were initially granted territory in what would become Shinovar, but their dissatisfaction with these limitations led to conflict with the native singers. This started the cycle of Desolations—massive continent-wide wars that would define Rosharan history for thousands of years.

Odium’s intervention in this conflict was a new strategy: using mortal populations as weapons against divine rivals rather than confronting them directly.

The Oathpact formed approximately 43 years into the First Desolation. Honor granted pieces of himself to ten human leaders, transforming them into immortal Heralds.

This compact bound the souls of Odium’s champions to Braize when killed, creating a system that could temporarily contain the threat. The Oathpact showed sophisticated understanding of how Spiritual Realm connections could create lasting magical effects.

Between approximately 3,700 and 6,000 years after the Shattering, Roshar experienced no more than fifteen Desolations. Individual conflicts lasted as long as eleven years, separated by centuries or millennia of relative peace.

Each cycle weakened Honor’s connection to Roshar while strengthening Odium’s influence. This was a long-term strategy to eventually defeat his rival without direct confrontation.

The Breaking Point: Abandonment, Recreance, and the Death of Honor (c. 6,000 – 8,500 Years AS)

The Last Desolation happened approximately 5,500 years before the modern Stormlight era when nine of the ten Heralds abandoned their responsibilities. Exhausted after millennia of cyclical death and torture, they left Taln alone to maintain the Oathpact.

This unprecedented decision was the first major failure of a divine compact in Cosmere history.

Taln faced 4,500 years of solitary torture while the other nine Heralds scattered across Roshar, gradually losing their sanity. This period showed the psychological limits of immortal beings and the dangers of placing cosmic responsibility on mortal minds, no matter how enhanced by divine power.

Honor himself began deteriorating under the strain of his conflict with Odium. Tanavast’s growing instability manifested in increasingly rigid interpretations of oaths and bonds.

This deterioration contributed to the Recreance around 8,500 years after the Shattering, when the Knights Radiant abandoned their oaths en masse after learning devastating truths about their origins.

Honor’s death happened approximately 8,000 years after the Shattering when Odium finally succeeded in killing Tanavast and Splintering the Shard. However, the Shard preserved Tanavast’s memories and a portion of his soul within the Stormfather, creating a backup plan for eventual restoration.

The Splintering completely altered the nature of highstorms and created conditions that would eventually allow the Knights Radiant to return in new forms.

The Lord Ruler’s Millennial Reign (c. 8,700 – 9,700 Years AS)

Rashek’s ascension through the Well of Ascension approximately 8,700 years after the Shattering marked a unique moment when a mortal temporarily held full Shardic power without becoming a permanent Vessel. This allowed him to reshape Scadrial while retaining his human identity and motivations—a combination that would prove both powerful and problematic.

The Lord Ruler’s thousand-year reign created one of the most stable but oppressive civilizations in Cosmere history. Rashek used his enhanced powers to build a rigid social system designed to prepare Scadrial for the Deepness’s prophesied return.

His transformation of Scadrial’s geography, ecology, and human genetics showed how much temporary access to Shardic power could alter a planet’s basic nature.

The Lord Ruler created kandra, koloss, and Inquisitors during this period, artificial species that would play major roles in Scadrial’s future. He used Feruchemy, Allomancy, and Hemalurgy to maintain his immortality, showing sophisticated understanding of how different Investiture-based magic systems could combine for maximum effect.

The Final Empire’s stability contrasted sharply with the cyclical destruction happening on Roshar during the same era. While oppressive and stratified, Rashek’s rule provided long-term stability that allowed for technological and magical advancement.

The growth of Allomantic theory, architectural techniques, and social institutions during this reign laid foundations that would prove vital for Scadrial’s rapid advancement in later eras.

The Era of Elantris (c. 8,900 – 9,000 Years AS)

The events chronicled in Elantris happened approximately 8,900 to 9,000 years after the Shattering. This was one of the earliest fully documented magical civilizations.

The rise and fall of Elantrian power on Sel showed both the potential and dangers of advanced Investiture manipulation. The AonDor system allowed for near-godlike abilities before the Reod catastrophically disrupted everything.

Elantris served as a case study in how Splintered Shards could continue influencing magical growth long after their Vessels’ deaths. The complex geographical limitations and power fluctuations characterizing Selish magic came directly from Devotion and Dominion’s violent Splintering.

This created a situation where magical power remained available but in highly unstable and unpredictable forms.

The political ramifications of Elantrian power extended beyond Sel itself. The existence of a population with godlike abilities created diplomatic and military challenges for neighboring kingdoms and attracted cosmere-spanning organizations’ attention.

Seon networks built some of the first systematic communication links between different regions of a Shard-influenced world.

The eventual restoration of Elantrian power following the novel’s events showed that Splintered Shards could be partially rehabilitated through proper understanding and manipulation of their remaining Investiture. This set important precedents for later efforts to restore or redirect damaged divine powers, though the required techniques remained highly specialized and dangerous.

The Mistborn Revolution and the Birth of Harmony (c. 9,700 Years AS)

The events of the original Mistborn trilogy, happening approximately 9,700 years after the Shattering, marked the end of the classical era. The Final Empire’s fall and subsequent Catacendre was the first successful mortal challenge to a millennia-old divine order.

Kelsier’s thieving crew didn’t merely overthrow a political system—they fundamentally altered Scadrial’s cosmic balance.

Releasing Ruin from his prison set in motion events leading to both original Shards’ death and replacement. Vin’s transformation from street thief to god-slayer was a new model for mortal interaction with divine power, emphasizing personal growth and moral development over inherited authority or magical capacity.

The Catacendre saw unprecedented changes in Scadrial’s basic nature as Sazed’s ascension as Harmony created the first hybrid Shard. The combination of Ruin and Preservation’s Intents into a single entity focused on balance and positive change was a new model for divine rule.

Harmony’s approach emphasized minimal intervention and respect for mortal agency.

Technological and magical advances following Harmony’s ascension showed how stable divine rule could accelerate rather than stagnate civilization. The rapid progression from medieval technology to industrial-age capabilities within a few centuries showed what could be accomplished when divine and mortal interests properly aligned.

Scadrial became a center of Investiture research and innovation.

The Height of Hallandren (c. 9,990 Years AS)

The events of Warbreaker occur approximately 9,990 years after the Shattering, placing them in the “modern” Cosmere era alongside Elantris and late-stage Mistborn Era 1. The political intrigue in Hallandren and the conflict with Idris are relatively localized concerns compared to the cosmic-scale conflicts happening on other worlds.

Yet the magic system and certain characters prove vital to broader Cosmere developments.

Nalthis’s Breath-based magic system operates on different principles than Allomancy or Surgebinding. The ability to transfer life force through color creates unique social and economic structures.

The Returned—individuals who come back from death with one Breath per week—are an unusual form of divine intervention on a world where the original Shard’s direct influence remains mysterious.

The God King’s role and the true nature of the Returned connect to broader patterns of divine power and mortal vessels throughout the Cosmere. The discovery of Awakening’s potential applications and the true purpose of certain Breaths held by the Returned have implications that extend far beyond Nalthis itself.

Certain characters and objects from Warbreaker appear in The Stormlight Archive, showing how events on Nalthis during this period connect to the larger cosmic conflicts brewing on Roshar. The timeline synchronization between these stories allows for worldhopping that becomes increasingly important to understanding the full scope of Cosmere events.

The True Desolation and the Return of the Radiants (c. 10,000 Years AS)

The events of The Stormlight Archive begin approximately 10,000 years after the Shattering and chronicle the True Desolation—the culmination of millennia of conflict between Honor and Odium. The return of the Knights Radiant and emergence of new Bondsmith capabilities create opportunities for unprecedented resolution of cosmic conflicts.

They also raise the stakes by making the outcome relevant to the entire Cosmere’s future stability.

The successful summoning of the Everstorm by Odium’s forces was a fundamental change in the conflict’s nature. It bypassed the traditional Herald-based system that had contained previous Desolations.

The restoration of singer forms of power and the Fused’s return created a more balanced conflict than had existed in previous eras, with both sides possessing roughly equivalent supernatural abilities.

Dalinar Kholin’s growth as a Bondsmith and his eventual brief ascension to Honor showed new possibilities for mortal-divine partnerships. His ability to temporarily hold Shardic power while maintaining human perspective, then voluntarily relinquish it, was a new model for managing cosmic responsibility without the corruption or madness affecting earlier Vessels.

The formation of Retribution through the combination of Honor and Odium under Taravangian’s control created another hybrid Shard with potentially more dangerous implications than Harmony’s creation. The concentration of opposing divine forces under a single Vessel with explicitly utilitarian motivations was a new form of cosmic threat combining multiple Shards’ power with mortal strategic thinking.

Scadrial’s Industrial Transformation (c. 10,050 Years AS)

The Wax and Wayne series, happening approximately 10,050 years after the Shattering, shows what happens when a planet has divine stability and reliable magic. Scadrial’s technological advancement reached industrial-age capabilities with Allomantic and Feruchemical enhancements.

This created the first civilization combining advanced technology with systematic magical practice.

The emergence of Twinborn individuals was a new phase in Scadrial’s magical growth. Interbreeding between Noble and Skaa populations created genetic combinations allowing for multiple Metallic Arts in single individuals.

The social and economic implications created new forms of inequality and opportunity requiring novel approaches to governance. Allomantic and Feruchemical technology integration made Scadrial a potential source of magically-enhanced devices for export.

Kelsier’s reemergence during this period and Trell’s interference showed that Harmony’s rule wasn’t absolute. The discovery that external Shards could still threaten Scadrial despite Harmony’s protection revealed the limitations of even benevolent divine oversight.

This proved the need for mortal institutions capable of defending themselves against cosmic threats.

The technological capabilities developed during this era—particularly in transportation and communication—began creating infrastructure necessary for systematic interplanetary commerce and cultural exchange. Allomantic flight and Feruchemical enhancement technologies provided Scadrial with unique advantages in an increasingly interconnected Cosmere.

These capabilities also created new responsibilities, as they could potentially destabilize less advanced worlds.

The Space Age: Interplanetary Conflict (Unknown Future Date)

The period following Sixth of the Dusk, happening chronologically near the end of current Cosmere storytelling, shows how ancient decisions continue influencing Cosmere growth even as civilizations achieve unprecedented technological capabilities. The arrival of spacefaring peoples on First of the Sun, known to natives as the “Ones Above,” is the culmination of millennia of technological and magical progress.

The interplanetary conflict referenced in various sources suggests the space age hasn’t brought universal peace. Local conflicts have escalated to cosmic scales.

The arms race between different planetary civilizations, enhanced by their unique magical capabilities, has created new forms of warfare combining traditional military technology with Investiture-based weapons and defenses.

Scadrial’s emergence as a major spacefaring power shows the successful integration of technological and magical growth. Their mastery of the Metallic Arts provides unique advantages in space travel and combat.

The ability to enhance human capabilities through Allomancy and Feruchemy makes Scadrian personnel particularly effective in space-based operations, while their industrial base provides necessary manufacturing capabilities.

The threat posed by various hostile Shards during this period has created the need for defensive alliances between worlds. The potential for a single aggressive Shard to threaten multiple worlds simultaneously has forced previously isolated civilizations to consider their role in broader cosmic politics.

Anti-Shard weapons and strategies are a new phase where technological advancement begins providing mortals with capabilities that can threaten even godlike beings.

Understanding Cosmere Chronology

Temporal Mechanics and Measurement Challenges

The Cosmere timeline isn’t a simple straight line. Magic and the power of the Shards can warp time, making a precise timeline tricky to lock down.

Temporal dilation effects created by major Shardic events, such as Retribution’s formation on Roshar, show how divine conflicts can literally alter the flow of time in localized regions of space.

Different calendar systems on various worlds create additional complications for historians attempting to correlate events across planetary boundaries. Roshar’s unique astronomical situation, with its complex moon system and unusual seasonal patterns, produces a calendar that doesn’t easily translate to standard Cosmere dating systems.

Scadrial’s artificially modified day-night cycle during the Lord Ruler’s reign created temporal measurement challenges that persist even after natural astronomical patterns were restored.

Cognitive Realm travel’s influence on temporal perception adds another layer of complexity. Worldhoppers may experience time differently during journeys between planets.

The relationship between Physical Realm time and Cognitive Realm temporal experience remains poorly understood, even by advanced Cosmere civilizations. This creates uncertainty about actual interplanetary voyage durations and event synchronization.

Future sight abilities possessed by various Shards and other Invested entities create additional chronological complications. Knowledge of future events can influence present decisions in ways that alter the timeline itself.

The interaction between prophetic knowledge and free will remains one of the most challenging aspects of Cosmere temporal mechanics, with implications extending beyond academic interest in historical accuracy.

What the Timeline Shows Us About Gods

Cosmere history shows how the gods have changed over time. The earliest period, dominated by Adonalsium’s singular authority, is a centralized cosmic control model that ultimately proved unsustainable.

The diverse needs and desires of mortal populations across multiple worlds were too much for one entity.

The Shattering wasn’t merely a power grab. It was a recognition that effective cosmic governance required more nuanced and specialized approaches than a single entity could provide.

The initial post-Shattering period showed both potential and limitations of the decentralized Shard system. While individual Shards could more effectively address specific needs of their chosen domains, lack of coordination created opportunities for conflict and exploitation.

Hybrid Shards like Harmony and Retribution are an attempt to get the best of both worlds. By combining opposing or complementary Intents under single Vessels, these entities can potentially provide more balanced and effective governance.

However, the psychological and philosophical challenges of managing multiple Intents simultaneously create new forms of divine instability.

The emergence of mortal individuals capable of temporarily holding Shardic power, such as Dalinar’s brief ascension to Honor, suggests possible future models for divine governance. These new models could avoid the psychological deterioration affecting most long-term Vessels.

The ability to rotate divine responsibility among multiple individuals, or to create systems where Shardic power can be wielded without permanent Ascension, may provide solutions to governance challenges that have plagued the Cosmere since the Shattering.