 Uh, excuse me, I keep hearing about this thing called the Cosmere, and I heard that you're an expert on it. Hmm? Yes, yes, of course. Come in, have a seat. What did you want to know? Well, first I want to know what the Cosmere is. Oh, that's simple. The Cosmere is the setting for most of the novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson. So far, it contains 12 full novels split across five different series, several novellas and short stories, and a graphic novel series. There are also approximately 20 more novels planned for the future. Wow, that's- There could be more, though, since Sanderson has been known to expand on ideas to make much bigger stories. For example, Alloy of Law was originally supposed to be a brief standalone tale that took place between Mistborn Era 1 and 2, before it was expanded to become an entire era. Thus Mistborn went from having three eras to four. Wait, what's a Mistborn? Well, A Mistborn is a person who can use the power of all 16 Allamantic Metals, but it's also the name of multiple book series taking place on the planet Scadriel in the Cosmere, following different characters who live centuries apart. The first one had a vaguely medieval level of technology, then the second is comparable to the 19th century. The third one is supposed to be like the 80s with early computer technology, and the fourth one is a full-on space opera. And that's all one series. No, it's four series. You just have to read them in order for them to make any sense. That sounds overly complex. Well, for the most part, every Cosmere series stands alone. You don't need to know anything about Mistborn to enjoy Warbreaker. You just need a debilitating brain injury. Brando Sandow is smart enough not to fall into the trap of trying to set up a cinematic universe without telling a good self-contained tale. Most of the Cosmere important stuff just happens in the background. Brando Sandow? It's short for Brandon Sanderson. Sometimes we call him Branderson or Brando Sandow. I myself prefer Marlin Brando Sandow. I'm not calling him that. That's fair. Okay, but what's the setting? Is it a continent, an entire planet, or what? It is a star cluster containing dozens of solar systems. What? Yeah, every series so far takes place on a single planet, and each one has its own civilizations and magic system, sometimes multiple systems. Nalthis has people breathing their soul into objects to bring them to life, Cell has people performing feats by drawing runes in the air, and Roshar has people who can perform what is essentially alchemy. How does every planet have a different magic system? You see, thousands of years ago, there was this god or godlike being named Adenalsium. Then people killed him and broke his power up into 16 pieces called shards, which were then taken by a group of humans who all split up and went to their own planets to rule over. Or they just created their own planets to rule over. Every shard invested itself in the area in a unique way, allowing people to access magic energy differently. So these gods are the source of all shards? So these shards are the source of all magic? Sort of. The energy that powers magic is called investiture, which originates in the spiritual realm and only comes down to the physical or cognitive realms when certain criteria are met. The shards only determine how the power is accessed and used. However, since its energy is never created or destroyed, when shards are killed their power lingers around. If shards are gods, then how can they die? Their human hosts can die, which leaves their power behind. The power can then either be taken up by another person or broken into countless other pieces that are impossible to reassemble. Of the original 16 shard holders, seven are dead and four of their shards have been splintered. However, two of them, ruined in preservation, were actually put back together after their hosts died, suggesting that any damage may not be permanent. And after Odium's original host was killed, someone took up his power with little issue. Wait, there are people called ruined in preservation? Those are their actual names? Not really. All the shards have names like ambition, devotion, honor, stuff like that. The power has an intent that drives their vessel and alters their personality over time until they're the embodiment of that intent. The hosts all have their own names from before, but they're rarely used. Okay, so where do I start? There are a lot of potential places to begin. If you want a finished series, the original Mistborn trilogy works well, but... Mistborn was written as a modernist take on the epic fantasy genre, so it might be more enjoyable to read it after getting familiar with stuff like Lord of the Rings or the Sword of Shinara. Yeah. Elantris is a standalone with few references to the wider Cosmere, making it easy for newcomers to understand the plot and world. I've heard good things about the Stormlight are start with Elantris. Yeah, okay. How does the timeline work? Come back later. I thought you were an expert. I am. Then why can't you explain the timeline? It's too vague. All we know for certain is that some books take place after others, but the exact amount of time that passes is usually ambiguous. Sometimes characters from other planets will cameo. The only thing is that they're immortal, so it could be a month later or 300 years later. Likely we'll have to wait until approximately 2040 before we have a solid grasp of what the timeline looks like. Jesus fucking Christ. Don't fret. Saint Sanderson will pull us through. Hold on. I've seen Brandon Sanderson's name on the Wheel of Time books too. Is that series part of the Cosmere? No. I mean, yes. I mean, sort of. Robert Jordan wrote the first 11 Wheel of Time books before he died and Sanderson finished the last few based on his outline and notes. So it's a separate series. Yes, but the World of Wheel of Time contains every fantasy world that's ever existed since it's a multiverse, and it also includes Earth since time is cyclical. You know what? I'm just going to stop you right there. This sounds amazing, and I need to get started right away. Thank you for your help. No problem, bro. But how are you able to keep track of all that? Most people have left by now. I'm a Kingdom Hearts fan. Understandable. Have a nice day.