When it comes to modern fantasy authors, Brandon Sanderson is sort of the bee’s knees. With a wealth of different worlds that he explores that are ripe with unique characters, intricate lore, and of course, his signature magic systems, the books of the Cosmere and beyond have delighted readers ever since 2005 when it all began. We are pretty big fans ourselves here at IGN, having covered where to get started in the Cosmere, what to read before the new movie and TV adaptations, and along with the tabletop offerings from the Cosmere RPG and Mistborn: Deck Building Game.
But, like anything in life, all good things must come to an end (at least for a time), and there are only so many Sanderson books out there. When that’s the case, you will need something else to read, and that is where this list comes in. We’re here to point you in the direction of other wonderful books that we think other fellow Sanderson fans will enjoy. The following books all feature incredible casts of characters that you will find yourself screaming out your support for, stories that will leave you breathless (and occasionally teary), and most also highlight a creative take on a magic or magic-adjacent system. Not all of these are fantasy, with a couple of excellent science fiction sprinkled in (I mean, Brandon wrote the science fiction Skyward series after all, too!), but they should still scratch a similar itch once you’ve run out of Sanderson books to read.
Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks
The Black Prism
Among the recommendations on this list, Brent Weeks’ “Lightbringer” series has one of the most unique magic systems and will easily appeal to Sanderson fans. This series largely follows two viewpoints, with the first being Kip Guile, an unlikely and rather un-heroic boy, who is thrust into the limelight and world of intrigue and an impending war. On the other end of the spectrum is Gavin Guile, a being able to wield the entire range and colors of light, known as the Prism, but with a dark and troubled past. The magic of this world, referred to as Chromaturgy, allows some individuals to utilize specific ranges of the color spectrum, including red, green, blue, and others – each with specific properties to them – but at a cost. Using their ability, or drafting as it’s called, will cause them to go mad. The series of five books features countless twists, turns, and uncovered secrets that will lead both Kip and Gavin to question everything they’ve ever known. The Lightbringer series is an easy recommendation for anyone who devours Sanderson’s works.
Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
Assassin’s Apprentice
2
Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin
Composed of multiple arcs, Robin Hobb’s magical Realm of the Elderlings series will delight Sanderson fans and epic fantasy lovers in general. While each trilogy is a self-contained adventure, recurring characters will appear and serve as the backbone of the series, including Fitz Chivalry and the Fool. The latter of whom kept reminding me of Hoid in the best ways as I read through these books. Hobb manages to paint her scenes and characters in a masterful way, and with some magical character development and surprises throughout the course of the series, continuing to pull in and enthrall readers for over thirty years now. Fans of Sanderson and the fantasy genre in general owe it to themselves to read Robin Hobb’s works.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Red Rising
2
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.
While it may not be fantasy, Pierce Brown’s Red Rising sci-fi series is filled with lore and characters as strong as any of Sanderson’s. While lacking any real magic system, in the world of Red Rising, a social caste system is in place where each person is born into a specific color hierarchy, which dictates their role in society. Darrow, who the saga follows, was born a lowly Red miner on Mars and after a series of events, his path takes him out of the tunnels of Mars and onto center stage of a revolution and war that will reshape their worlds. Darrow’s tale is one of hardship, joy, and some truly mind blowing twists and turns that would give even the best Sanderlanche a run for its money. Red Rising can be incredibly dark and violent, but it is worth the trip all the same.
For a more detailed look at the series and navigating it, we have a whole reading guide on Pierce’s space epic!
The Sun Eater Series by Christopher Ruocchio
Empire of Silence
1
Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.
“Journey before destination” – a line that will resound in the hearts of any Stormlight fan, and one that fits no better entry on this list quite as well as Christopher Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series. Including elements that you could consider “magic-like”, Sun Eater is another series that fits more in the science fiction category than fantasy but much like, Red Rising, features some amazing characters, great twists, and a creative magic-esque system that should tickle that Sanderson itch. Following Hadrian Marlowe, the series is written as a sort of memoire from the man himself, recounting the events that led to him being known as “The Sun Eater”. Right from the start of the first book, The Empire of Silence, you know where the story will end, but this series is a look at how it all came to be. With sweet totally-not-lightsabers, some awesome space combat, and moments that left me with tears flowing down my face, Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series is all about the journey.
Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
The Eye of the World
2
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again.
Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series sits among the loftiest heights of the fantasy pantheon. The tale of the One Power and the Dragon Reborn began back with the release of The Eye of the World in January of 1990 and would go on to span 14 books and a prequel novella. With a large cast of characters you are bound to grab onto some and fall in with them and some of incredibly interesting in-universe history, and that great magical twist with the One Power that drives its male channelers mad, have helped pull readers in for more than 30 years now. While including these books on this list may be a tiny cheat, considering Sanderson himself was brought on to finish the series after Jordan’s unfortunate passing, that shouldn’t detract fans of the Cosmere books from checking these out.
For a more indepth look, check out our reading guide.
The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan
Promise of Blood
0
Civil unrest has crippled the citizens of Adro in the aftermath of the revolution that obliterated the monarchy—now, Field Marshal Tamas and his lieutenants must confront the true cost of freedom.
You know how in Sanderon’s Mistborn series, people use their special allomancy abilities by ingesting and burning metals? Well if you swapped out metal for gunpowder and stuck the setting in something akin to Era 2 – an early 19th-century sort of European place, you’d have a pretty solid idea of how cool Brian McClellan’s Powder Mage Trilogy is. The main series takes place in the kingdom of Adro just after the big revolt takes place as the main characters try to deal with this aftermath. Oh, and also a little plot to bring back the kingdom’s founder, an individual that is basically worshipped as a god themself, but I’m sure nothing bad can happen in a land of wizards with guns, right? While the initial trilogy ended back in 2015, a bunch of novels and even a second trilogy, the Gods of Blood and Powder” have been released since, with a potential on-screen adaptation being in the works since 2021.
Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch
The Lies of Locke Lamora
0
Young Locke Lamora dodges relentless danger, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentlemen Bastards, Locke is infamous.
Light on its magic, but overflowing with character charms, the Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch are great heist romps wearing a fantasy trenchcoat overtop. Following the exploits of crafty master-of-disguise and thief mastermind Locke Lamora alongside his best friend and the dual axe-wielding powerhouse Jean Tannen as they get themselves in, out, and usually back into trouble, while working towards the big score. Some truly jovial moments and great character writing are paired with heart wrenching and brutal moments that make setting these books down just as hard to do as if you found yourself smack-dab in the middle of the familiar Sanderlanche. This series is still on going, with only a few of the books and some sidestories currently released, but each adventure of Locke and Jean should delight fans of Sanderson, especially if you love the Wax and Wayne era of Mistborn!
Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee
Jade City
0
Four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.
Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga has exploded in popularity among fantasy fans since the release of Jade City back in 2017 thanks to its special blend of epic fantasy elements with seedy crime and fight scenes that feel straight out of a classic kung fu film. The three books follow the Kaul family in a world where the Jade gemstone is able to enhance the abilities of individuals known as Green Bone Warriors. Setting itself apart from others on this list, taking place on an industrialized island in a sort of alternate post-World War II landscape, the Kaul family and their struggles against rival factions and foreign invasion still manages to capture that same heart and those tense moments that Sanderson fans eat up. It may swap platemail for suits and ties, but the Green Bone Saga is still a fantasy powerhouse at its core, and I’d love to see a Greenbone Warrior day on a Radiant anyday.
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
The Fifth Season
0
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter.
N.K. Jemisin’s The Broke Earth trilogy is an emotional tale of a mother and her daughter weaved together with a magic system a bit like Avatar’s Earthbending but on super steroids. Set in a world where people known as Orogenese tap into and utilize and manipulate the both the heat and energy of seismic tectonic powers of the planet itself to both prevent or cause massive earthquakes influence the temperature surrounding them. Going so far as even being able to flash-freeze the and anyone else near them as they use this power. The series follows Essun, a middle-aged woman who has secretly kept her powers a secret who sets off to rescue her child after her husband kidnaps them while leaving the other dead. Over the course of these three books secrets of the world, Essun, and other dangers arise and results in a wonderful and touching fantasy trilogy that delivers something different from many others in the genre, but with its unique magic system and impactful narrative should appeal to Sanderson fans.
Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
Dragonflight
1
The land of Pern and its dragonriders are nearly as synonymous with the fantasy genre as wizards and magic spells.
The land of Pern and its dragonriders are nearly as synonymous with the fantasy genre as wizards and magic spells, with Anne McCaffrey being its creator. This is a series that will have been around for 60 years as of next year, and while may lack some modern expectations fans of the genre may expect, or find it leans a bit heavy on tropes, considering its legacy and when it release, Anne helped established some of those very tropes herself with Pern. Pulling from Brandon himself in his (admittedly outdated) “What books would you suggest to your fans” article on his website, Brandon simply says this about Anne McCaffrey – “If you haven’t read her books I don’t know why you’re reading mine. You need to go and read hers immediately!”. There you have it then, straight from the man himself.
It’s hard to imagine the romantasy genre producing a series like Fourth Wing without McCaffrey paving the way years before.
Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.
