Brandon Sanderson

Born	December 19, 1975
Education	Brigham Young University
Occupation	Author
Period	2005 - present
Influenced by	Robert Jordan, David Farland, Barbara Hambly
Website	http://www.brandonsanderson.com

Brandon Sanderson (born December 19, 1975, middle name Winn) is an American fantasy author.

Biography

Brandon Sanderson was born in December 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a child Brandon enjoyed reading, but he lost interest in the types of titles often suggested for him, and by junior high he never cracked a book if he could help it. This all changed in 8th grade when an astute teacher, Mrs. Reader, gave Brandon Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly. Brandon thoroughly enjoyed this book, and went in search of anything similar. He discovered such authors as David Eddings, Melanie Rawn, Robert Jordan, Anne McCaffrey, and Orson Scott Card. Brandon continued to be an avid reader through junior high and high school. He liked epic fantasy so much that he even tried his hand at writing some. His first attempts, he says, were dreadful.

In 1994 Brandon enrolled at Brigham Young University as a Biochemistry major. From 1995-1997 he took time away from his studies to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Brandon often says that it was during this time in Seoul, Korea that he realized that he didn't miss chemistry one bit, but he did miss writing. Upon his return to BYU Brandon became an English major, much to the dismay of his mother, who had always hoped he would become a doctor.

Brandon began writing in earnest, taking a job as the night desk clerk at a hotel because they allowed him to write while at work. During this era he went to school full-time during the day, worked nights to pay for his schooling, and wrote as much as he could. He says it made for a rather dismal social life, but he finished seven novels during his undergraduate years. Brandon submitted many manuscripts for publication ... and accumulated quite a pile of rejection letters. In spite of this he continued to be a dedicated writer.

Volunteering for The Leading Edge - BYU's Sci Fi/Fantasy magazine - was a wonderful experience for Brandon. He read lots of submissions, formed some lifelong friendships, and even served as Editor in Chief during his senior year.

Brandon learned much about the business of being a writer by taking a class from David Farland, author of the popular Runelords series. One piece of advice Dave gave Brandon was to attend conventions, such as WorldCon and World Fantasy, in order to connect with industry professionals. Brandon and a small group of friends who were also aspiring writers began to do so. He eventually met both his current agent and one of his editors at conventions.

It was in 2003, while Brandon was in the middle of a graduate program at BYU, that he got a call from an editor at Tor who wanted to buy one of Brandon's books. Brandon had submitted the manuscript a year and a half earlier, and had almost given up on hearing anything, so he was surprised and delighted to receive the offer. In May 2005 Brandon held his first published novel, Elantris, in his hands. Tor also published Brandon's Mistborn trilogy, and has released Warbreaker, The Way of Kings, The Rithmatist, and Words of Radiance since, with other Sanderson titles to follow in the future.

In 2004 after graduating with his Master's degree in creative writing from Brigham Young University, Brandon was asked to teach the class he had taken as an undergraduate student from Dave Farland. In spite of his busy schedule, Brandon continues to teach this one section of creative writing focused on science fiction and fantasy because he enjoys helping aspiring writers. It also gets him out of the house, he says.

In July 2006 Brandon married Emily Bushman. Emily and Brandon ran in many of the same circles at BYU during their student days, since Emily majored in English as well. They never met, however, until a mutual friend set them up on a date in 2005. Emily had spent seven years as a teacher, but chose to quit with the birth of their son Joel in October 2007. Emily now works from home part-time as Brandon's business manager.

Brandon's repertoire expanded into the children's market when Scholastic published Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, a middle-grade novel, in October 2007. Nancy Pearl gave this book a very favorable review on National Public Radio, which pleased Sanderson fans. Since the release of Alcatraz, Brandon has enjoyed visiting schools and interacting with younger readers.

In December 2007 Brandon was chosen by Harriet Rigney to complete A Memory of Light, the final book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. It was released on the 8th of January, 2013.

Writing

The novelette, Defending Elysium, was first named honorable mention in a Writers of the Future contest in early 2003. It originally appeared in the October/November 2008 Asimov’s Science Fiction (in the US) and the UPC Science Fiction collection (in Europe). It was winner of the UPC science fiction award, and was the last short story Brandon wrote before he sold Elantris to Tor Books. It is available for online reading and hardcover purchase.

Sanderson published his first novel, Elantris, through Tor Books on April 21, 2005, to generally positive reviews. Elantris tells the story of the cursed inhabitants of a once-great city who once wielded powerful magic.

In January of 2006, Brandon wrote the short story Elantris - The Hope of Elantris. It is available for online reading on his website. Also in 2006, Mistborn: The Final Empire, the first book in his original Mistborn trilogy was released. (The Mistborn are "allomancers", or people who have the ability to "burn" various metals and alloys after ingesting them in order to enhance their senses and allow them control over powerful supernatural forces.)

Sanderson followed up in 2007 with a sequel, Mistborn: The Well of Ascension, which continues the story and delves into the origins of the mysterious and all-pervasive mist which enshrouds everything on this world at night and even sometimes during the day. His next work was the young adult novel Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, about a boy named Alcatraz who has a unique gift: he's very good at breaking things. He also has a group of evil librarians who are bent on taking over the world.

In 2008, Sanderson released two science fiction short works, Firstborn (a Tor.com Original available as an ebook) and Defending Elysium, as well as the final book in the original Mistborn trilogy, Mistborn: The Hero of Ages and an Alcatraz sequel, Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones.

Tor Books published Sanderson's Warbreaker in 2009. He originally published it on his website a chapter at a time while writing the novel from 2006 to 2009, with the final version being what was published through Tor. The novel was released under a Creative Commons license and is available either printed from Tor or as a free download from Sanderson's site. The same year saw a third Alcatraz book, Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia, which follows Alcatraz as he and his companions continue their fight against the cult of evil librarians.

After Robert Jordan's September 2007 death, Sanderson was selected by Harriet McDougal (Robert Jordan's widow), to complete the final book in Jordan's epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. McDougal asked him to complete the series after being deeply impressed by Mistborn: The Final Empire. Tor Books made the announcement December 7, 2007. After reviewing what needed to be done to wrap up the series, Sanderson and Tor announced on March 30, 2009 there would be a final three books instead of just one. The first of these, The Gathering Storm, was published October 27, 2009, and reached the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction.

Sanderson then released the first novel, The Way of Kings, in a planned ten-novel epic fantasy series titled The Stormlight Archive. It reached #7 on the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list, and it remained on the list for an additional three weeks. Towers of Midnight, the second-to-last novel in The Wheel of Time series, was released just over a year after The Gathering Storm on November 2, 2010, also debuting at number one on the bestseller list. The fourth Alcatraz novel, Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens, was released a month later on December 1, 2010.

A novella ebook, Infinity Blade: Awakening, based on the action role-playing iOS video game Infinity Blade[2] developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games,[3] was released on October 4, 2011. Mistborn: The Alloy of Law, set approximately 300 years after the events of the original Mistborn trilogy and published by Tor Books, was released on November 8, 2011, where it debuted at #7 on the bestseller list.

In 2012, Brandon wrote the Kelsier prequel story, Mistborn: The Eleventh Metal, for the Mistborn Adventure Game from Crafty Games.[4] It is available for online reading. On August 31, 2012, Sanderson released a science fiction novella ebook entitled Legion. Another novella, The Emperor's Soul - Hugo Award Winner for Best Novella - was published on October 10, 2012 by Tachyon Publications.

A Memory of Light, the final book in The Wheel of Time series, was released on January 8, 2013 and reached #1 on multiple best seller lists. A YA/middle grade novel, The Rithmatist (the first in a new series), was released on May 14, 2013. The A Memory of Light deleted sequence, River of Souls, included in the Unfettered anthology edited by Shawn Speakman, was released by Grim Oak Press on June 21, 2013. The anthology is available as an ebook. On August 20, 2013, the second novella ebook in the Infinity Blade trilogy, Infinity Blade: Redemption, was released by Chair Entertainment Group. Steelheart (the first novel in the new young adult series, Reckoners), was released on September 24, 2013 through Delacorte Press in the United States and through Gollancz in the United Kingdom. On December 3, 2013, the short work ebook Mitosis (an 'interquel' in the Reckoners series) was released by Random House. Included in the anthology, Dangerous Women, released on December 3, 2013 and edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, was the novella, Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. It is now available as an independent ebook.

On March 4, 2014, Words of Radiance - the long-awaited second novel in The Stormlight Archive following The Way of Kings - was released by Tor Books. On April 3, 2014, Brandon revealed a new short story in the horror anthology Games Creatures Play, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.[5] Dreamer is rather unlike anything Brandon has written previously. Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology which includes the novella, Sixth of the Dusk, was released by Dragonsteel Entertainment on June 30, 2014. The novella is now available as an independent ebook. Legion: Skin Deep, the sequel to Legion, was released by Subterrenean Press in a limited edition (2500 numbered copies, bound in leather, signed by the author) on November 6, 2014. It was also released by Dragonsteel Entertainment as an ebook on the same date.

On January 6, 2015, Firefight (the second novel in the Reckoners series) was released through Delacorte Press in the U.S. and various regions around the world. On March 31, 2015, Perfect State was released as an ebook by Dragonsteel Entertainment. Mistborn: Shadows of Self, the sequel to Mistborn: The Alloy of Law and published by Tor Books, was released on October 6, 2015.

Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning, the sequel to Mistborn: Shadows of Self, was released by Tor Books on January 26, 2016. Mistborn: Secret History, a spoiler-full volume for the original Mistborn trilogy, was released in ebook format by Dragonsteel Entertainment also on January 26, 2016. Calamity, the third novel in the Reckoners trilogy, was released through Delacorte Press on February 16, 2016. The first graphic novel, White Sand, in what will be a trilogy, was released on June 28, 2016 by Dynamite Entertainment. Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians, Book Five: The Dark Talent was released by Tor/Starscape on September 6, 2016. On November 22, 2016, the anthology, Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection, was released by Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC and includes the novella, Edgedancer, which bridges the gap between 2014's Words of Radiance and the anticipated Oathbringer of 2017.

The novella, Snapshot, was released in ebook format by Dragonsteel Entertainment on February 17, 2017. Edgedancer was released as a separate volume from that of Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection by Tor Books on October 18, 2017. Oathbringer, the third novel in The Stormlight Archive, was released by Tor Books on November 14, 2017.

Bibliography Cosmere

All of Brandon Sanderson's books (apart from his young adult series) share a single creation myth, a single cosmology. The connection between them in the greater world, is the universe known as the Cosmere. These books include:

The Stormlight Archive

• The Way of Kings (2010)
• Words of Radiance (2014)
• Oathbringer (2017)
• Stones Unhallowed (focus on Szeth; working title, due 2020-21)
• Untitled (focus on Eshonai; unconfirmed)

Mistborn

• Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)
• Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (2007)
• Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (2008)
• Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (2012)
• Mistborn: Shadows of Self (2015)
• Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning (2016)
• Mistborn: Secret History (2016)
• Mistborn: The Lost Metal (due 2019)

Stand-alone Novels

• Elantris (2005)
• Warbreaker (2009)
• White Sand I (2016)
• White Sand II (2018)
• Silverlight

Novellas

• The Emperor's Soul (2012)
• Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (2013)
• Sixth of the Dusk I (2014)
• Sixth of the Dusk II
• Edgedancer (2016)

Novella Collections

• Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection (2016)

Short Stories

• Elantris - The Hope of Elantris (2006)
• Mistborn: The Eleventh Metal (2012)
• Aether of Night (unknown)
• Untitled Silverlight Story (unknown)
• Untitled Threnody Story (unknown)
• The Silence Divine (unknown)

Reading Order

The left-side chart can be used as a reference to determine in just what order one might read the Cosmere books. It is current as of January 2016. One can start with any book in a purple oval, but it has been recommended by many that the reader not familiar with Brandon's work should not start with The Stormlight Archive series.

The right-side chart is slightly more updated on the order in which one might read the Cosmere books. It is current as of May 2016.

Notes

Brandon has stated that the Cosmere runs along a 10,000 year gap and that Roshar falls right into the middle of the timeline. Further, he has recently recommended his own reading order.

Bibliography Other

Wheel of Time Series

• Book 12: The Gathering Storm
• Book 13: Towers of Midnight
• Book 14: A Memory of Light

Alcatraz

• Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (2007)
• Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones (2008)
• Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (2009)
• Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens (2010)
• Alcatraz Versus the Dark Talent (2016)
• Bastille Versus the Evil Librarians (unknown)

Novellas

• Perfect State (2015)

Novella Collections

• Legion Collection (September 2018)

Novelettes

• Defending Elysium (2003)
• Firstborn (2010)

Short Stories

• River of Souls (2013) [6]
• Dreamer (2014) [7]

Infinity Blade

• Awakening (2011)[8]
• Redemption (2013)

Legion

• Legion (2012)
• Legion: Skin Deep (2014)
• Legion: Lies of the Beholder (2018)

Rithmatist

• The Rithmatist (2013)
• The Aztlanian (due 2017)

Reckoners

• Steelheart (2013)
• Mitosis (2013)
• Firefight (2015)
• Calamity (2016)

Apocalypse Guard

• Untitled (unknown)
• Untitled (unknown)
• Untitled (unknown)

Adamant

• Snapshot (2017)

Dark One

• Untitled

Skyward

• Skyward I (November 2018)
• Skyward II (2019)
• Skyward III (2020)

External links

• Brandon's wikipedia article
• Brandon's writing podcast
• Brandon's writing website