Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is an American author who has become one of the defining voices in modern epic fantasy, primarily through the interconnected "Cosmere" universe that links most of his major series. He is best known for the Stormlight Archive, a sprawling, planned ten-book saga beginning with The Way of Kings, and for the Mistborn series, which reimagined the classic "chosen hero defeats the dark lord" fantasy structure by starting after the hero has already lost. He was also selected by Robert Jordan's estate to complete The Wheel of Time's final three novels after Jordan's death, work later adapted, alongside the earlier books, into Amazon's Wheel of Time television series. Sanderson is equally known for his extraordinary productivity and direct relationship with readers, including record-breaking crowdfunding campaigns for surprise new novels. New readers should start with Mistborn: The Final Empire for a self-contained trilogy, or The Way of Kings if ready to commit to the larger Stormlight Archive, widely considered his flagship work. His meticulous, rule-based magic systems have become influential enough that "Sanderson's Laws" are commonly referenced by other fantasy writers discussing magic-system design.