Fantasy mastermindBrandon Sandersonis notorious not only for the epic number of books he juggles writing at once, but also his transparency about the life cycle of his various projects. Aside from his involvement with the nascent Cosmere RPG,Brandon Sanderson’s numerous upcoming bookscover most of his extensive Cosmere multiverse, as well as a few projects with universes of their own.
While some question what the best of Brandon Sanderson’s many novel series is, includingthe main debate between Mistborn or Stormlight Archive, that’s mostly an academic exercise among passionate fans, many of whom are as dedicated to scholarly documentation of the Cosmere’s intricacies as the characters in that universe themselves are. Yet outsideSanderson’s immense Cosmere multiversehe has some equally great books, like the critically acclaimedSkywardseries of sci-fi young adult novels. In a blog post at the end of 2024, Sanderson laid out his tentative release schedule for the next few years, and here arethe most exciting books from that list.
10Tailored Realities
Sanderson’s Next Short Fiction Collection
This illustrated omnibus, mostly linked thematically by none of the stories being set in the Cosmere, has an expected release date of August 03, 2025.Tailored Realitiesis a collection of various short stories that have mostly been published elsewhere, including the Cytoverse prequel novellaDefending Elysium, “Perfect State,” “Snapshot” (one of the fewSanderson stories with an upcoming TV adaptation), as well as a wholly new and stand-alone novella entitledMoment Zero.
While stories like “Snapshot” are excellent reads,it’s hard to get excited about another anthology that mostly collects previously published material. With little word out about the plot of the new story,Moment Zero, the jury is still out about whetherTailored Realitieswill be considered an essential part of any Sanderson fan’s personal library, or just something for completionists.
9The Rithmatist 2: The Aztlanian
A Young Adult Sequel 12 Years In The Making
Sanderson’s first book in theRithmatistYA series was published in 2013, andhe originally announced its sequel a year later, although followed that announcement up by saying he would take his time with the book, as his use of real-world cultures in the setting necessitated additional research to ensure he was being respectful, particularly in his portrayal of Aztec culture and mythology. As a result,The Aztlanianhas been pushed back repeatedly over the years, leaving fans of the original book wondering when the sequel would finally release.
Set in an alternate version of our own Earth, the world of theRithmatistis one where North America is a massive archipelago instead of a continent, haunted by strange two-dimensional creatures made of chalk, against which people have developed the chalk-based magic of Rithmancy to defend themselves.
Now that the first arc ofThe Stormlight Archivehas finished, theRithmatistsequel may make its way back up toward the top of Sanderson’s to-do list, but his end-of-2024 blog roundup indicated thatit will still likely have to wait until he has finished theElantrissequel. With no specific dates on the horizon to drum up excitement,Rithmatistfans will have to continue biding their time until Sanderson makes a more detailed announcement about the book’s fate.
8Skyward Legacy
Sanderson And Co-Author Janci Patterson Expand The Sci-Fi Cytoverse
The next arc ofSkywardbooks, set in Sanderson’s sci-fi Cytoverse, are currently in-progress; Sanderson has handed most of the reins of these off to co-author Janci Patterson, who he says likely has a better name for the sequel trilogy. The first book in this trilogy, tentatively titledBlightfall, was originally intended for a release in spring 2025, butthe most recent announcement has pushed it back to spring or summer of 2026.
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Skyward’s Cytoverse is an exciting series, and Sanderson’s first arc makes forexcellent examples of female-led YA books. Co-author Janci Patterson is a long-time friend of Sanderson’s, as well as one of his former students; the two have clearly worked well together on the Cytoverse collaborations published thus far (the short story “Hyperthief” and theSkyward Flightnovellas), and Patterson now taking the lead on further Cytoverse books will likely mean the series will benefit from her fresh ideas and perspective.
7Stormlight Archive Sequence 2
The Second Half Of The Linchpin To Sanderson’s Cosmere Multiverse
With the late 2024 release ofWind and Truth, the first arc ofThe Stormlight Archiveofficially came to a close with some fairly climactic implications, not only for the world of Roshar, but for the Cosmere as a whole. Unfortunately,Sanderson has been quite open for some time about his intentions to take a significant breakbetween the release ofWind and Truthand starting on the next cycle ofStormlightbooks, with his latest update indicating he won’t even begin work on the next book until 2029, with an eye for a late 2031 release date.
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A six-year delay between books may seem like forever, but the Cosmere won’t stay stagnant during that time; we’ll be getting the next wave ofMistbornbooks then, as well as theElantrissequels and whatever other projects spring forth unannounced from Sanderson’s head. Besides, withWind and Truth’s endingresulting in the world of Roshar being trapped in a bubble of slowed time,the wait really will be just a matter of perspective.
6Horneater
A Rosharan Side Story With A Lot Of Heart
While the nextStormlight Archivenovel is on the very distant horizon, the upcoming novellaHorneaterwill hopefully tide readers over. Focusing on the fan-favorite character Rock and his return to his homeland of the Horneater Peaks after the events of the fourthStormlightnovel,Rhythm of War, this side story likely won’t contain any major revelations about Roshar at large, insteadfocusing on the usually boisterous Unkalaki and his inner strugglesafter breaking his vow of non-violence to save Kaladin’s life at the Battle of Thaylen Field.
Unkalaki, or Horneaters, are an ethnic minority on Roshar from the mountains of Jah Keved. The name “Horneater” likely comes from their additional teeth or plates at the back of their jaws, which allow them to chew the shells of the many crustaceans that comprise most of Rosharan fauna.
While Sanderson is a phenomenal author of epic action sequences and brilliant magic systems,his writing is often at its best when it can focus more on a character’s inner emotional landscape, or when we get glances of characters' relationships in intimate moments. Given that most of Rock’s time in the greater narrative ofStormlighthas been as a part of the tight-knit family of Bridge Four, it’ll be fascinating to see him returning to his home, and how his time among the Alethi may make reintegrating with other Unkalaki difficult.
5White Sand Novelization
The Story Of The Desert World Of Taldain (Now In Prose Form)
White Sandis now entering its third incarnation, after first being born as an unpublished manuscript (except for theexcerpt in Sanderson’sArcanum UnboundCosmere anthology), then reborn as a series of graphic novels, and now again as a full novel. While it isn’t on Sanderson’s estimated release schedule for the next few years, he did make some progress on the revisions over 2024, and is apparently planning to continue working on it as opportunities present themselves in between other projects.
Sanderson has clarified that there will be little difference between the prose version andgraphic novel ofWhite Sand.White Sand Prime(the fandom’s name for the original manuscript has been circulating online for some time, and has several major differences from the comics, but the eventual release of the updatedWhite Sandnovel will bring the text in line with the comics.“Both will remain canon,“Sanderson said in his 2024 roundup post, “and I’d like for you to be able to experience the story via either format as you prefer.” (viaBrandonSanderson.com)
4Elantris 2 And 3
The Long-Awaited Return To Sanderson’s First Published World
Elantriswas Sanderson’s first published novel, published in 2005, and therefore also the first Cosmere book released to the public. In the twenty years since its release, the strange magic of Dor and the vulnerable yet immortal Elantrians have popped up several times in other Cosmere works, notably inMistborn: Secret History, leaving readers wonderingwhat changes have happened in the world of Sel since the city of Elantris was healed at the book’s conclusion.
Unfortunately, while theElantrissequels are on the horizon, they’re pretty far out there, as Sanderson has made it clear that the next sequence ofMistbornbooks must come first, at least on his end. His most recent projected release schedule has theElantrissequels alternating releases withMistborn, sothe first is currently planned for December 2028.
3Isles of the Emberdark
The Fifth And Final Secret Projects Book
Announced as a part of the Kickstarter for the leatherbound edition ofWords of Radiance,Isles of the Emberdarkis a full novel that serves as a sequel to the novellaSixth of the Dusk, continuing on with the story of the Eelakin trapper by the same name. While the novella was an introduction to Sixth and his world of First of the Sun, as well asthe machinations of the interstellar Ones Aboveand their nefarious designs on the planet,Isles of the Emberdarkwill tell of Sixth and his attempts to find help for his beleaguered home.
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Isles of the Emberdarkis set for a Fall 2025 release for anyone receiving it as a reward from theWords of RadianceKickstarter. Those who missed out on the Kickstarter but are dying to learn more about First of the Sun’s struggles against the Ones Above hopefully won’t have to spend too long stewing in jealousy, asthe regular release of the book through Sanderson’s publisher Tor is scheduled for early 2026.
2Mistborn: Ghostbloods
Allomancy By Way Of 1980s Computer Technology
Thethird era of theMistbornserieshas long been the subject of speculation from Sanderson scholars, as the author has repeatedly teased that the next time skip will bring the world of Scadrial ahead to relative technological parity with our own 1980s. Now, withThe Stormlight Archivefinished for the time being, Sanderson’s plan is to move ahead withMistborn’s next era, now known asGhostbloodsafter the organization of worldhoppers first introduced inThe Way of Kings.
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Since Sanderson’s estimate for the release of the firstGhostbloodsbook isn’t until 2028 – he’s aiming to turn in the first draft of it to his publisher in mid-2025, but as with the previous set ofMistbornbooks, he’s writing the entire trilogy at once in order to ensure proper continuity – there’s still quite a bit of time to get excited atthe prospect of combining Allomancy with computer science. With the 2024 State of the Sanderson post teasing the return of “familiar (somewhat spike-filled) characters from Era One,” there’s also plenty of excitement about which Hemalurgic constructs will return.
1Warbreaker 2: Nightblood
This Sequel Is Still On The Far Horizon, So Keep Holding Your Breath
The originalWarbreakerremains one of Sanderson’s most incredible books, and has been forced to stand alone since its release in 2009. Set on the world of Nalthis, home to the beautiful magic of Breath and vibrant plant life, the book is an amazing story of dynastic intrigue, undead royalty, and the perils of empire – and yetno additional works of Sanderson’s have taken place there. Instead, only a handful of references to the book have appeared, mostly through the characters of Vasher and Vivenna, who have worldhopped to Roshar and appeared in severalStormlight Archivebooks.
Coming just beforeThe Way of Kingsin the overall timeline,Nightbloodwill be a welcome glimpse into the mechanics of worldhopping.
Nightblood, the book’s working title,will supposedly tell of just how Vasher and Vivenna made their way to Roshar, as well as how Vasher lost the sentient sword Nightblood. Coming just beforeThe Way of Kingsin the overall timeline, it will be a welcome glimpse into the mechanics of worldhopping. Sadly, it isn’t yet on the schedule, and may not even be finished before Sanderson starts work on the second arc ofThe Stormlight Archive, but like the sword it’s named after,Nightbloodwill inevitably find its target.
