| Cosmere | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Brandon Sanderson |
| Owner | Dragonsteel Entertainment |
| Years | 2005–present |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) |
|
| Short stories |
|
| Graphic novel(s) | White Sand series (2016–2022) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | In development with Apple TV |
| Television series | In development with Apple TV |
| Games | |
| Role-playing |
|
| Miscellaneous | |
| Genre | Fantasy, science fantasy, high fantasy |
The Cosmere is a fictional shared universe created by Brandon Sanderson, serving as the setting for many of his fantasy novels and related works.[1] It includes series such as Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, Elantris, and Warbreaker, along with novellas, short fiction, and graphic works. Individual series are set on different fictional worlds but are linked through shared cosmological elements and narrative connections.
Development
Sanderson conceived the Cosmere prior to the publication of his debut novel Elantris (2005). During early development, he established a unified fictional universe intended to support multiple independent narratives within a shared cosmology.[2] He has stated that Isaac Asimov's interconnected Robot and Foundation series influenced the concept, though the Cosmere was designed as a unified setting from the outset.[3]
In spring 2022, Brandon Sanderson announced a Kickstarter campaign of "Secret Projects" to publish four secret and brand-new novels written during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign reached its goal within a day, and accumulated a total of $41.7 million.[4][5] Three of the four secret projects take place in the Cosmere universe: Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man all of which released in 2023. Sanderson continued using this surprise-release model for subsequent novels, publishing a fifth secret project, Isles of the Emberdark, in 2025.[6] A sixth secret project, The Fires of December, was released in 2026. While written as a standalone novel, The Fires of December also serves as the third installment in the Hoid’s Travails anthology series, following the storytelling model established in Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. Like its predecessors, the book features a standalone narrative framed as a story narrated by the overarching Cosmere character Hoid.[7]
Narrative
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.[8] Sixteen of those people—referred to as Vessels—then took these Shards and traveled to new worlds, populating them with different systems 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 the Mistborn series.[8]
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. One such Shard, Odium, has killed—or "splintered"—several other Shards. On Sel, he splintered Devotion and Dominion, accidentally creating the Dor, from which Seons and Skaze have emerged. He has also splintered Ambition, in the Threnody 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.[9]
Reception
Awards and recognition
Cosmere works have received extensive recognition across major speculative fiction awards, including the Hugo Awards, World Fantasy Awards, David Gemmell Awards, and several reader-voted honors such as the Dragon Awards and Goodreads Choice Awards.
- The Emperor's Soul (2012) received the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2013 and was also nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella, marking the highest individual critical recognition for a Cosmere novella.[10][11]
- Elantris (2005) won the Reviewers' Choice Best Epic Fantasy Novel Award from Romantic Times, establishing early critical recognition for Sanderson's Cosmere work.[12]
- The Hero of Ages (2008) received both the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award and the Whitney Award for Best Speculative Fiction.[13][14]
- The Stormlight Archive has been widely recognized as one of the most prominent modern epic fantasy series. It won the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Novel for The Way of Kings (2011) and Words of Radiance (2015), and received multiple Whitney Awards across its volumes.[15][16][17][18] The series was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Series in both 2018 and 2025, reflecting sustained long-form recognition across its publication span.[19]
- The Mistborn series has received sustained genre recognition across both its eras. The Alloy of Law won the Whitney Award for Best Speculative Fiction in 2011, while later entries such as The Bands of Mourning received nominations for the David Gemmell Awards.[20][21] Earlier works in the series, including The Hero of Ages, were recognized with multiple Romantic Times and Whitney Awards in 2008.[13]
- Oathbringer (2017) won the Dragon Award for Best Fantasy Novel, while Rhythm of War (2020) and Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023) were nominated in the same category.[22][23][24]
- White Sand Volume 1 received the Dragon Award for Best Graphic Novel in 2018.[22]
Publications
Series
| Series | Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mistborn | The Final Empire | 2006 | Era 1 |
| The Well of Ascension | 2007 | ||
| The Hero of Ages | 2008 | ||
| The Alloy of Law | 2011 | Era 2 | |
| Shadows of Self | 2015 | ||
| The Bands of Mourning | 2016 | ||
| The Lost Metal | 2022 | ||
| The Stormlight Archive | The Way of Kings | 2010 | Arc 1 |
| Words of Radiance | 2014 | ||
| Oathbringer | 2017 | ||
| Rhythm of War | 2020 | ||
| Wind and Truth | 2024 |
Standalone novels
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Elantris | 2005 | |
| Warbreaker | 2009 | |
| Tress of the Emerald Sea | 2023 | Hoid's Travails anthology series |
| Yumi and the Nightmare Painter | 2023 | Hoid's Travails anthology series |
| The Sunlit Man | 2023 | |
| Isles of the Emberdark | 2025 | |
| The Fires of December | 2026 | Hoid's Travails anthology series |
Collections and short fiction
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Emperor's Soul | 2012 | Novella |
| Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell | 2013 | Novella |
| Sixth of the Dusk | 2014 | Novella |
| Edgedancer | 2016 | Stormlight Archive novella |
| Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection | 2016 | Cosmere anthology collection |
| Dawnshard | 2020 | Stormlight Archive novella |
Graphic novels
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| White Sand Volume 1 | 2016 | |
| White Sand Volume 2 | 2018 | |
| White Sand Volume 3 | 2019 | |
| White Sand Omnibus | 2022 | Collections of all three volumes with revised material |
Picture Books
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Dog and the Dragon | 2026 | Hoid’s Storybook Collection, illustrated by Howard Lyon |
| Wandersail | 2026 | Hoid’s Storybook Collection, illustrated by Alexis and Justin Hernandez |
| The Girl Who Looked Up | 2026 | Hoid’s Storybook Collection, illustrated by Steve Argyle |
| The ChasmFriends Get a Pet | 2026 | Hoid’s Storybook Collection, written by Dan Wells, illustrated by Anna Earley |
Adaptations
Adaptations of Cosmere works were discussed within the film and television industry for more than a decade, with multiple projects entering development without reaching production.[25]
In January 2026, Apple TV purchased the film and television rights to Sanderson's Cosmere universe and announced plans for a film franchise based on Mistborn and a television adaptation of The Stormlight Archive[26] Industry coverage highlighted the unusual degree of creative control retained by Sanderson, who was reported to serve as writer, producer, consultant, and final creative approver on major adaptation decisions.[27] As of 2026, both projects remained in early development and no release dates had been announced.[28]
Games
The Cosmere Roleplaying Game is a tabletop role-playing game developed by Brotherwise Games in partnership with Dragonsteel Entertainment, based on Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere shared universe. First announced in 2023 and launched via Kickstarter in 2024, the project became one of the most successful tabletop crowdfunding campaigns in history, raising over $14 million from more than 50,000 backers. The game uses a modified d20-based system featuring narrative-focused mechanics, flexible talent-based character progression, and skill-driven magic systems designed to reflect Cosmere Invested Arts. Initial releases focused on The Stormlight Archive setting, with a full campaign book released in 2025, followed by planned expansions including a Mistborn campaign setting and additional Cosmere worlds.[29][30]
See also
References
- ^ "What Is The Cosmere?". Brandon Sanderson. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ "What Is The Cosmere?". Brandon Sanderson. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ "Who or What Has Influenced the Creation of the Cosmere?". Brandon Sanderson FAQ. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ "Brandon Sanderson's Tress of the Emerald Sea Will Release in Bookstores on April 4th". Tor.com. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ McGill, William (April 1, 2023). "Top 10 Science Fiction Novels coming out in 2023". International Business Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ Papadopoulos, Charles. "Every Brandon Sanderson Secret Project Book Explained". Screenrant.
- ^ Nelson, Sam. "Brandon Sanderson's new book The Fires of December twists the Cosmere in exclusive look". Polygon.
- ^ a b Sanderson, Brandon (January 26, 2016). "Part Three, Chapter 2". Mistborn: Secret History. Mistborn series. Dragonsteel Entertainment. ISBN 978-1-938570-12-4.
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.
- ^ Whitehead, Adam. "Brandon Sanderson plans 36-volume fantasy series". Wertzone. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ "The Hugo Award 2013 Hugo Awards". thehugoawards.org. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "The World Fantasy Awards 2013". worldfantasy.org. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ "2005 RT Award Nominees & Winners". rtbookreviews.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "2008 RT Award Nominees & Winners". rtbookreviews.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "Whitney Awards 2008 Winners". whitneyawards.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "David Gemmel Legend Awards 2011". sfadb.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ "David Gemmel Legend Awards 2015". sfadb.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
- ^ "Whitney Awards 2010 Winners". whitneyawards.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "2014 Whitney Finalists". 2014 Whitney Awards Committee. 2015. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Hugo Awards 2018". sfadb.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ "Whitney Awards 2011 Winners". whitneyawards.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ "David Gemmel Legend Awards 2017". sfadb.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
- ^ a b "2018 Recipients – The Dragon Awards". Dragon Con. Archived from the original on January 13, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ "2021 Dragon Award Ballot – The Dragon Award". Dragon Con. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "2023 Nominees – The Dragon Award". Dragon Con. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ "Brandon Sanderson says studios and streamers aren't ready to adapt his work". Polygon. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ Kit, Borys (28 January 2026). "Brandon Sanderson's Literary Fantasy Universe 'Cosmere' Picked Up by Apple TV (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Kit, Borys (28 January 2026). "Brandon Sanderson's Literary Fantasy Universe 'Cosmere' Picked Up by Apple TV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ Kit, Borys (28 January 2026). "Brandon Sanderson's Literary Fantasy Universe 'Cosmere' Picked Up by Apple TV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ Hoffer, Christian (22 July 2024). "Stormlight Roleplaying Game First Impressions: A Familiar Game System That Faithfully Captures Spirit of Cosmere". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ Hoffer, Christian (6 August 2024). "Mistborn RPG Details Revealed (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.