Brandon Sanderson | |
|---|---|
 Sanderson at the 2016Lucca Comics & Games convention | |
| Born | Brandon Winn Sanderson[1] (1975-12-19)December 19, 1975 (age 50) Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Education | Brigham Young University (BA,MA) |
| Period | 2005–present |
| Genre | |
| Notable works | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
brandonsanderson | |
Brandon Winn Sanderson (born December 19, 1975) is an American author ofhigh fantasy,science fiction, andyoung adult books. His best known novels include theMistborn series andThe Stormlight Archive, which are set in the Cosmerefictional universe. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written severalyoung adult and juvenile series includingThe Reckoners, theSkyward series,[a] and theAlcatraz series. He is also known for finishing authorRobert Jordan's high fantasy seriesThe Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created twographic novels,White Sand andDark One.
In 2008, Sanderson started a creative writing podcast with the horror writerDan Wells and the cartoonistHoward Tayler calledWriting Excuses. He coinedSanderson's Laws of Magic which popularized the idea of "hard magic" and "soft magic" systems. In mid-2022, Sanderson and Dan Wells started another podcast,Intentionally Blank, which is focused on writing and pop culture.
Sanderson's writing has been nominated and won numerous awards. He has been noted for his prolific level of writing output, having written 71 books as of 2023[update],[3] several of which have toppedtheNew York Times best seller list.[4] Sanderson's March 2022Kickstarter campaign to self-publish four novels became themost successful in history, finishing with 185,341 backers pledging US$41,754,153.[5] In January 2026,Apple TV purchased thefilm and television rights to Sanderson's Cosmere universe in a unprecedented deal that gives Sanderson extensive creative control over the shows.[6]
Sanderson was born on December 19, 1975, inLincoln, Nebraska,[7][8] the eldest of four children born to Barbara and Winn Sanderson. Sanderson was raised as a member of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church). As a child he was a "reluctant reader" but became a passionate reader of fantasy in his teens after a teacher gave him a copy ofDragonsbane byBarbara Hambly.[9] He made several early attempts at writing his own stories.[10] After graduating from high school in 1994, he went toBrigham Young University (BYU) and majored inbiochemistry. He took a two-year leave of absence from 1995 to 1997 to serve as a volunteerLDS missionary and was assigned to serve inSouth Korea.[10]
In 1997, Sanderson returned to BYU and changed hismajor toEnglish literature. While an undergraduate, Sanderson took a job as anight auditor at a local hotel inProvo, Utah, which allowed him to write while working.[10] One of Sanderson's roommates at BYU wasKen Jennings (ofJeopardy! fame).[11] Sanderson's honors thesis,Dragonsteel, was the first in BYU's history to be rebound as it was being read so frequently by students at the university library.[12] He graduated in 2000 with aBachelor of Arts. He continued on as a graduate student, receiving anM.A. in English with an emphasis increative writing in 2004.[13] While at BYU, Sanderson was on the staff ofLeading Edge, a semi-professionalspeculative fiction magazine published by the university, and served as its editor-in-chief during 2001.[14]
In 2006, Sanderson married Emily Bushman, an English, Spanish, andESL teacher and fellow BYU alumna; Emily later became his business manager.[10][15] They have three sons and reside inAmerican Fork, Utah.[16]
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.[17] While in the middle of a graduate program at BYU, he was contacted byTor Books editor Moshe Feder, who wanted to acquire one of his books. Sanderson had submitted the manuscript of his sixth novel,[18]Elantris, a year and a half earlier.[10]Elantris was published byTor Books on April 21, 2005, to generally positive reviews.[19][20] This was followed in 2006 byMistborn: The Final Empire, the first book in hisMistborn 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.[21]
He published the second book of theMistborn seriesThe Well of Ascension in 2007.[22] Later that year, Sanderson published the children's novelAlcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, about a boy named Alcatraz with a talent for breaking things.[23] 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).[24][25][26] In 2008, the third and final book in the Mistborn trilogy was published, titledThe Hero of Ages, as well as the second book in the Alcatraz series, titledAlcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones.[27] That same year, he started thepodcastWriting Excuses withHoward Tayler andDan Wells.[28]
Sanderson rose to prominence in late 2007 whenHarriet McDougal, the wife and editor of authorRobert Jordan, chose Sanderson to complete the final books in Jordan's epic fantasy seriesThe Wheel of Time after Jordan's death. McDougal asked Sanderson to finish the series after being deeply impressed by his firstMistborn novel,The Final Empire.[29]Tor Books made the announcement on December 7, 2007.[30] 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 theNew York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction.[31][32]Towers of Midnight, the second-to-lastThe Wheel of Time book, was published just over a year afterThe Gathering Storm on November 2, 2010, debuting at number one on the bestseller list.[33] In early 2013, the series was completed with the publication ofA Memory of Light.[34]
In 2009, Tor Books publishedWarbreaker, which originally appeared serially on Sanderson's website while he was writing the novel from 2006 to 2009.[35][36] In the same year, the thirdAlcatraz book was published, titledAlcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia.[37] In 2010, Sanderson publishedThe Way of Kings, the first of a planned ten-book series calledThe Stormlight Archive. It achieved the number seven slot on theNew York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list.[38] The fourth Alcatraz novel,Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens, followed soon after.[39]
In October 2011, he finished a novella e-book,Infinity Blade: Awakening, based on theaction role-playing,iOSvideo gameInfinity Blade, developed byChair Entertainment andEpic Games.[40] In November 2011, he published a sequel to theMistborn trilogy,Mistborn: The Alloy of Law.[41] 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.[42][43] It debuted at number nine on the combined print and e-bookNew York Times Best Seller list.[44]
On August 31, 2012, Sanderson published a science fiction novella entitledLegion, followed by another short work titledThe Emperor's Soul.[45][46] In 2013, Sanderson published two new young adult series. These series includedThe Rithmatist and the first ofThe Reckoners series titledSteelheart.[47][48][49] In March 2014,Words of Radiance, the second book inThe Stormlight Archive, was published.[50]
Later that year,Subterranean Press published the second novella in theLegion series,Legion: Skin Deep.[51] It was a preliminary nominee for the 2015Hugo Awards, but did not make the final ballot.[51] In January 2015, the second book ofThe Reckoners, titledFirefight, was published.[52]Firefight won the 2015Whitney Award in the Best Young Adult—Speculative category.[52] It also placed eighth in the Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction category of theGoodreads Choice Awards and was a finalist for the 2015AML Award in the Young Adult Novel category.[52]
Nine months later, Sanderson publishedMistborn: Shadows of Self as a direct sequel toThe Alloy of Law.[53] The novel won the 2017Neffy Award 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 2016Gemmell Legend Award.[53] On November 16, 2015, Sanderson's agency (JABberwocky Literary Agency) announced that Sanderson officially sold over 7 million copies worldwide.[54]
On January 26, 2016,Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning was published as the sequel toShadows of Self. On February 16, 2016, the third and final book of theReckoners trilogy, titledCalamity, was published. In June 2016, Sanderson's firstgraphic novelWhite Sand—written with Rik Hoskin—was released. The series is planned as a trilogy.[55] The graphic novels are based on an original manuscript by Sanderson.[56] On September 6, 2016, the fifthAlcatraz book was published, calledAlcatraz Versus the Dark Talent.[57]
DMG Entertainment optioned the Cosmere in 2016 for film and television.[58] On November 22, 2016, an anthology of Cosmere short stories and novellas was published, titledArcanum Unbounded: A Cosmere Collection. The third book inThe Stormlight Archive,Oathbringer, was published on November 14, 2017.[59] The first book of theDefiant series,Skyward, was published on November 6, 2018.[60] The second book in the series,Starsight, was released on November 26, 2019. In September 2020, a collaboration project with authorMary Robinette Kowal calledThe Original, was released.Rhythm of War, the fourth Stormlight novel, was published on November 17, 2020.[61] In 2020, Sanderson's agency updated his number of copies sold to over 18 million worldwide,[62] and in early 2021, to over 21 million.[63]
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 forCytonic, the third book of his Skyward series, which was published on November 23, 2021. Sanderson started a new podcast in June 2021 calledIntentionally Blank, with friend and fellow science fiction authorDan Wells.[64]
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) were made available through a Kickstarter subscription that released them quarterly through 2023.[65] The Kickstarter campaign was highly successful, raising $15 million in its first 24 hours[66] and over $20 million within three days, becoming the all-timemost successful campaign.[67] The Kickstarter campaign finished with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153.[68][69] Before the conclusion of his Kickstarter campaign, Sanderson also backed every other publishing project on Kickstarter, for a total of 316 projects.[70] One of the secret projects during the pandemic,Tress of the Emerald Sea, was released in book form in April 2023.[71] In March 2024, Sanderson announced a further 'secret project' novel set for a 2025 release.[72]
Sanderson also collaborated withUnknown Worlds Entertainment to create the lore and setting for the video gameMoonbreaker, which was released viaearly access in September 2022.[73]
The "biggest release the [fantasy] genre has seen in years" came about in December 2024 with the unveiling ofWind and Truth.[74] This is Sanderson's fifth and final book in the first arc ofThe Stormlight Archive. Sanderson projects there will be at least five more books in the series, but the printing of these novels is not expected until 2031.[74]
On January 28, 2026, it was reported that Apple TV has secured development rights for screen adaptations of works by Sanderson, focusing initially on two major series from hisCosmere universe.[75] The agreement seeks to develop feature films based on theMistborn series and a television series adaptation ofThe Stormlight Archive, both of which are among Sanderson’s most commercially successful and widely read works.[76] The deal is described as significant within the industry because it grants Sanderson an unusually high degree of creative involvement: he is expected to write, produce, consult on the adaptations, and retain approval rights over key production elements.[77] Production roles have begun to take shape forThe Stormlight Archive television project, with the production company Blue Marble Pictures attached and executive producer Theresa Kang linked to the series.[78]
Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC is a company acting as publisher, storefront, and producer for various Sanderson-related products and projects. It is also known as Dragonsteel Books, according to Sanderson's personal blog as a rebranding tactic in 2021.[79] It holds copyrights to many of Sanderson's novels and has self-published several of his stories in both digital and print formats.[80]
In 2024, Sanderson appeared before 5,000 fans atFanX inSalt Lake City, Utah, at a 50-minute panel. During the panel, Sanderson announced that Dragonsteel Entertainment had purchased land to "theoretically build a bookstore" called Dragonsteel Plaza. Dragonsteel Plaza would be home to a bookstore, outside market, and the headquarters for Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC.[81][82]
Sanderson first turned toKickstarter in 2020, when he generated $6.7 million from almost 30,000 backers to produce a collectable leather-bound 10th anniversary edition of the Stormlight Archive novel,The Way of Kings.[83]
In 2022, in his second Kickstarter project, Sanderson raised over $41.7 million for four secret books, all intended as stand-alone novels, through Dragonsteel Entertainment. The crowdfunding campaign became the largest in Kickstarter history by pledge volume, surpassing the previous record holder by more than double. It also set new records for the most funds raised in the first 24 hours, with $15.4 million, as well as the highest number of backers and total funding within the same time period.[84]
In August 2024, Sanderson teamed up with Brotherwise Games to create a tabletop role-playing game (RPG) based on the mythical universe the Cosmere, featured in many of his fantasy novels. With over $14.6 million in pledges, the Kickstarter campaign broke the previous record in pledges for a tabletop RPG.[84]
In 2015, Brandon Sanderson and wife Emily Sanderson created a charitable organization called The Lightweaver Foundation. Its mission is to "Feed bodies. Fill minds. Fuel hope."[85] Jane Horne is the director of the organization.[85]
The Lightweaver Foundation's first project helped students atUtah Valley University (UVU) andBrigham Young University (BYU) publish their speculative fiction in journals. The foundation set up an endowment fund to support university journals and ensure future publications of these journals continued.[85]
The Lightweaver Foundation is also responsible for raising money to support people and programs, largely within their local community. One of the major beneficiaries for these efforts has been the Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. The Lightweaver Foundation has also promoted literacy by supporting a writing conference for teens called StoryCon (formerly Teen Author Bootcamp) and also supporting Book Drop, which hosts popular authors to speak at schools and give away copies of their published works.[85]
The Cosmere is the name of the universe in whichElantris,Mistborn,Warbreaker,The Stormlight Archive,White Sand,Tress of the Emerald Sea,Yumi and the Nightmare Painter,The Sunlit Man,Isles of the Emberdark,[86] and stories contained inArcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection are all set. This idea came from Sanderson's desire to create an epic-length series while also attempting to convince publishers to sell his books as a new writer.[87] Further, Sanderson has cited inspiration from the wayIsaac Asimov's separateRobot andFoundation series were eventuallytied together; the Cosmere is his attempt at an overarching superstory established at onset of the series. This is unlike Asimov's stories, which were connectedad hoc mid-series.[88] Sanderson has estimated that the Cosmere sequence could conclude with at least 40 books.[89]
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 seventeen conspirators, causing its power to shatter into sixteen different Shards, each of which bears immense power.[90] Sixteen of those people—referred to as Vessels—then took these Shards and traveled to new worlds, populating them with differentsystems of magic or extending on ones already present. In one case, the Shards known as Ruin and Preservation worked together to create the planet Scadrial, the setting of theMistborn series.[90]
Each Shard has an Intent, such asAmbition orHonor, and a Vessel's personality is changed over time to bring them more in-line with their Intent. One such Shard,Odium, has killed—or "splintered"—several other Shards. OnSel, he splinteredDevotion andDominion, accidentally creating the Dor, from which Seons and Skaze have emerged. He has also splinteredAmbition, in theThrenody system. A man known as Hoid is seen or mentioned in most Cosmere books. He is from Yolen and travels the so-called Shardworlds, using the people of those worlds to further an unknown agenda.[91]
Sanderson has indicated that an upcoming work in the series will be in thecyberpunk genre, a marked departure from the setting of the high-fantasy and urban-fantasy settings that have featured in the Cosmere universe to date.[92]
Sanderson makes an express distinction between "soft" and "hard" magic for purposes of world building and creating magic systems in fictional settings.[93][94][95] Both terms are approximate ways of characterizing two ends of a spectrum.[24][96] 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.[97][98] 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 in the reader.[93][99]
Sanderson's three laws of magic are creative writing guidelines that can be used to create magic systems for fantasy stories:
Additionally, there is a zeroth law:
Sanderson is adjunct faculty atBrigham Young University, teaching a creative writing course once per year.[102][103]
Sanderson's writing courses are also published to his YouTube channel, "Brandon Sanderson."[104]
Sanderson from 2008 to 2022 participated in the weekly podcastWriting Excuses with authorsDan Wells,Mary Robinette Kowal, and web cartoonistHoward Tayler.[28] He began hosting the podcastIntentionally Blank with Dan Wells in June 2021, where they discuss random things they enjoy, often while Sanderson signs the front sheets that will eventually be inserted in his books once they are published.[105]
Sanderson has been nominated for (and also won) multiple awards for his various works. SeeWriting Excuses for additional awards and nominations.
| Year | Organization | Award title, category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Romantic Times | Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award, Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award | Elantris | Won | [106] |
| 2006 | World Science Fiction Society | John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer | -- | Nominated | [107] |
| Romantic Times | Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award, Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award | Mistborn | Nominated | [108] | |
| 2007 | World Science Fiction Society | John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer | -- | Nominated | [107] |
| Romantic Times | Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award, Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award | The Well of Ascension | Nominated | [109] | |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction | Nominated | [110] | ||
| Whitney Awards, Best Youth Fiction | Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians | Nominated | |||
| Polytechnic University of Catalonia | UPC Science Fiction Award | Defending Elysium | Won | [111] | |
| 2008 | Romantic Times | Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award, Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award | The Hero of Ages | Won | [112] |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction Award | Won | [113] | ||
| 2009 | DGLA | David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, Fantasy Novel | The Hero of Ages | Nominated | [114] |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction | Warbreaker | Nominated | [115] | |
| 2010 | DGLA | David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, Fantasy Novel | Warbreaker | Nominated | [116] |
| The Gathering Storm | Nominated | ||||
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction Award | The Way of Kings | Won | [117] | |
| Whitney Awards, Best Novel of the Year Award | Won | ||||
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2010, Best Fantasy of 2010 | Towers of Midnight | Won | [118] | |
| 2011 | DGLA | David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel | The Way of Kings | Won | [119] |
| Towers of Midnight | Nominated | [120] | |||
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction Award | The Alloy of Law | Won | [121] | |
| 2012 | DGLA | David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, Legend Award For Best Novel | The Alloy of Law | Nominated | [122] |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2012, Best Fantasy of 2012 | The Emperor's Soul | Nominated | [123] | |
| 2013 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Novella | The Emperor's Soul | Won | [124] |
| World Fantasy Convention | World Fantasy Award, Best Novella | Nominated | [125] | ||
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2013, Best Fantasy of 2013 | A Memory of Light | Nominated | [126] | |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Young Adult—Speculative | Steelheart | Won | [127] | |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2013, Best Young Adult Fantasy of 2013 | Nominated | [128] | ||
| 2014 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Novel | The Wheel of Time[129] | Nominated | [130] |
| DGLA | David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, Legend Award for Best Novel | A Memory of Light | Nominated | [131] | |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2014, Best Fantasy of 2014 | Words of Radiance | Nominated | [132] | |
| LDStorymakers | Whitney Awards, Best Speculative Fiction Award | Won | [133] | ||
| 2015 | DGLA | David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, Legend Award for Best Novel | Words of Radiance | Won | [134] |
| Goodreads | Goodreads Choice Awards 2015, Best Fantasy of 2015 | Shadows of Self | Nominated | [135] | |
| Goodreads Choice Awards 2015, Best Young Adult Fantasy of 2015 | Firefight | Nominated | [136] | ||
| 2016 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Novella | Perfect State | Nominated | [137] |
| Dragon Con | Dragon Awards, Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel | Calamity | Nominated | [138] | |
| 2017 | DGLA | David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel | The Bands of Mourning | Nominated | [139] |
| 2018 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Series | The Stormlight Archive | Nominated | [140] |
| DGLA | David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel | Oathbringer | Nominated | [141] | |
| Dragon Con | Dragon Awards, Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal) | Won | [142] | ||
| Dragon Awards, Best Graphic Novel | Brandon Sanderson’s White Sand Volume 1 | Won | |||
| 2019 | Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy | Geffen Award, Best Translated Fantasy Book | The Alloy of Law | Won | [143] |
| 2021 | Dragon Con | Dragon Awards, Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal) | Rhythm of War | Nominated | [144] |
| 2023 | Dragon Con | Dragon Awards, Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal) | Tress of the Emerald Sea | Nominated | [145] |
| Utah Valley University | Honorary Doctor of Letters | -- | Awarded | [146] | |
| 2025 | World Science Fiction Society | Hugo Award, Best Series | The Stormlight Archive | Nominated | [147] |
Anyway, there was a God. Adonalsium. I don't know if it was a force or a being, though I suspect the latter. Sixteen people, together,killed Adonalsium, ripping it apart and dividing its essence between them, becoming the first who Ascended.
Sanderson's second law is that flaws or limitations are more interesting than powers.
