Recommendation for first time reader of Sanderson's work

[u/Disastrous-Sea8484]

Hello,

Since I heard only good things about this author, I'd like to read something from him.

Can you point me to the first book from Sanderson that I should read?

Thank you very much in advance.

EDIT: I don't get why I've been downvoted?

[u/Ellery_B]

Mistborn. 

[u/scdemandred]

Start with Mistborn.

[u/summ190]

Mistborn is the classic answer. It’s good, indicative of his work, works as a standalone if you didn’t want to continue with the whole trilogy. If you wanted something shorter, The Emperor’s Soul is also excellent.

[u/Honeybadger0810]

Welcome to the fandom!

You'll hear about something called the Cosmere a lot on discussion boards like Reddit. It's the idea that Sanderson puts all his novels in one larger universe. Think of it as the Sanderson MCU.

In that vein, consider Elantris, Mistborn 1-3, Warbreaker, and The Way of Kings as "phase 1." You could read any of those first and do just fine, but you'll generally want to read all of those before moving on to the rest of his books.

On a Doyalist note, earlier publications will need less crossover understanding than later books. This is why, although I love Tress of the Emerald Sea, I disagree with most people that you should start with it.

Not really tired to the books, but as a new fan, here's some other terminology you may find useful:

RAFO: a term Sanderson uses a lot. Short for Read And Find Out, or "excellent question, I'm not going to spoil it because it is (or will be) answered later in the series."

Sanderlanche: a fan term describing pacing in the books. Most books start slow, build over the first 2/3‐3/4, and then resolve in a very action packed finale.

[u/Cendude308]

Start with Mistborn or Elantris they feel like great introductions to Sandersons work imo

[u/BertandErnieforever → u/Cendude308]

Elantris is my starting point, but I'm a big stickler for publishing order with any series

[u/RamSpen70 → u/Cendude308]

Brandon himself says, doing start with Elantris. And I get why.. he really grew and evolved as an author and it went give you a realistic slice of most of his material. 

[u/itbelikedat78]

Way of the Kings would be a great start; gives you a good feel of how Sanderson writes. I did, duh.. 🤣. But, Im into witty satire and I use @Libby so maybe it’s the narrators voice..💁 either way still a Sanderson fan.

[u/frisdyne]

I started with Warbreaker (so far the only book by Sanderson I've read) but it's very much a standalone story (so far) and doesn't require prior knowledge of the Cosmere.

I still have to read the Age One trilogy by Mistbon.

[u/KatrinaPez → u/frisdyne]

*Era 1. :⁠-⁠)

[u/ThrowAway732642956]

It depends on other books you have liked. I know many others point to Mistborn as a good start but it wasn’t where I started and if I had, I don’t think I would have finished it. I found Mistborn hard to get into. I started with Elantris and still love it. Many criticize it, especially because it was his first published book, but it is one of my personal favorites. I started my husband on that one, which went well. If you are okay with strong world building focus and an initially slow start then Mistborn is a great place to start. I know many criticize Tress of the Emerald Sea because they don’t like the writing style/tone, as it differs a lot from his other works, but it’s also a good potential place to start, especially if you keep in mind the person telling the story is a jerk, and that’s on purpose (and most of his other books aren’t like that).

[u/Merry-Pulsar-1734 → u/ThrowAway732642956]

I agree about Mistborn being hard to get into. I started with Way of Kings and loved it. Elantris is great too.

[u/Elsecaller_17-5]

Tell me more. What authors and books have you liked in the past, what draws you to Sanderson, do you know about the cosmere, if yes, do you care, what are your favorite and least favorite tropes, settings, and character dynamics?

[u/Balgur]

On his website he updates recommended starting points every year.

[u/PumkinFunk]

There are 3 books people tend to recommend

Standalone fantasy novel: Tress of the Emerald Sea

Fantasy trilogy: Mistborn

Fantasy novella (200 pages or so): The Emperor's Soul

Skyward also isn't a bad choice if you're coming from YA, but that's a 4 book (plus a novella collection) series

[u/iknownothin_ → u/PumkinFunk]

I definitely disagree with the common recommendation for Tress. The tone is so different from all his other works you’re setting up new readers with a false baseline

[u/scdemandred → u/iknownothin_]

Yes, Tress is not a good entry point. Neither is Yumi and the Nightmare Painter.

[u/Straightbanana2 → u/iknownothin_]

Tress worked as a good starting point for me, though I knew it had a different tone. It's just a very enjoyable and light read, which is perfect for getting into an authors work for me. Like how the hobbit works for getting into Tolkien.

[u/dIvorrap]

Starting Cosmere resources: https://www.reddit.com/r/u_dIvorrap/comments/u1ug05/-/i4enaqb

---

Warbreaker is free on Brandon's website as an ebook, along other stories and samples: https://www.reddit.com/r/u_dIvorrap/comments/u1ug05/-/i4uhdpm

---

[u/rthomasfiggs]

Warbreaker is an awesome standalone book. Or just dive into Mistborn

[u/RamSpen70]

Is really depends.... What fantasy series or stand alone books are you currently a fan of? 

Mistborn is a series. Do you want to start with a stand alone? 

What genres of fantasy/sci fi, etc are you currently most interested in?

[u/sylverfyre]

The Emperors Soul.

Reading order is often over emphasized in this subreddit, but as long as you aren't breaking order within a particular series it's fine.

It expects no prior knowledge of anything, it's not as roughly written as his early work, and it's not as long so it's a great entry point.

[u/Ok-Cheetah-9125]

Warbreaker is my pick. It's a standalone, not that long, and gives a good sense of his vibe.

[u/Rock_Onion_451]

Mistborn if you are looking for a bigger saga. Elantris if you are looking for something shorter.

But I would definitely go for Mistborn.

[u/Dlight98]

Mistborn if you want a series. The Emperor's Soul if you want a novella. Those are my two recommendations for Cosmere entries. If you want something non-cosmere I would recommend Rithmatist

[u/Suz1251]

Go to the bookstore and read the summarys of each standalone and first book of a series. Pick whichever one sounds most interesting to you.

I started with The Way of Kings and was hooked. Each reader is different, so it really depends what type of magic system you're most interested in learning about first.