The other characters too are fantastic and there are too many to mention, but Shallan deserves special attention. The struggle to overcome this is really uplifting and inspirational. It shows one of Sanderson’s key strengths, the ability to create dark and dangerous worlds without becoming melodramatic or gritty just for the sake of it. His journey from the depths of misery and despair, as he builds hope in the Bridge 4 crew, is one of the best plotlines I’ve ever read. What makes it the best and top of this list is Kaladin, who is my number 1 favourite Cosmere character and probably my favourite in all of fantasy. There is fantastic world building, a brilliant plot and some of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read. Perhaps it is because this is the first Sanderson book I read, but this one edged its way to the top of the list.
There was tough competition, especially at the top of the list and there is very little between some of the books. This is not an objective ranking of quality and there’s going to people who feel the books at the bottom should be at the top and vice versa. It should go without saying that this is merely my personal opinion and everyone probably has their own rankings. I gave the top 9 books 5/5 and the last 3 still got 4/5, so it’s all quality. That’s why this list will start with the best, because there isn’t any bad. Sanderson at his worst is still one of the best fantasy writers. On the other hand, Sanderson doesn’t write bad books, only books that are not as fantastic as his best.
BRANDON SANDERSON BOOKS 2016 SERIES
On the one hand, this was easy because most of his books take place in different worlds with settings and plots that you are unlikely to confuse (unlike some authors who write books in one long series and all the books get muddled together in my head). I was thinking about his books lately and for fun I started comparing them and trying to rank them. Brandon Sanderson is a titan of the fantasy genre, one of the most innovative and popular writers and one of my favourite authors.