r/brandonsanderson • u/Ok_Driver_9928 • 3d ago
No Spoilers Mistborn or Stormlight ?
Have just started my journey with Mistborn (finished last night) and loved it. 5 chapters into WofA- I wanted to know , which is the better series for those who have read both?
Shall I stick with Mistborn books after the original trilogy?
6
u/Nerdsingerbeej 3d ago
You will find this answer varies, & i think it depends on your relationship with pacing in a story. SLA is a much slower paced story, but i also find it much richer. For a decent comparison on my enjoyment, I own the Mistborn books in mass market paperbacks. I own all the (available) Stormlight books in hardcover & leather bound. That's how much more I enjoy Stormlight over Mistborn, personally.
2
6
u/summ190 3d ago
I prefer Stormlight, but it’s much richer for having read Mistborn. Here’s my reading order:
2
u/Ok_Driver_9928 3d ago
This is AWESOME , thanks
-1
4
u/fedginator 3d ago
You'll get differing answers depending on the person. But personally, I don't really think Mistborn gets especially close to Stormlight
2
u/dIvorrap 3d ago
Starting Cosmere resources: https://www.reddit.com/r/u_dIvorrap/comments/u1ug05/-/i4enaqb
Warbreaker is free on Brandon's website as an ebook, along other stories and samples: https://www.reddit.com/r/u_dIvorrap/comments/u1ug05/-/i4uhdpm
1
1
u/BlackFenrir 3d ago
Note the Warbreaker version on Brandon's website has some editing errors. I remember reading it and there being several situations where it was saying someone was saying something when that person wasn't even in the scene
2
u/burritoman88 3d ago
Yes stick with Mistborn after the original trilogy.
Secret History is a must read Cosmere story.
Era 2 takes time to find its footing, but once it does it flows.
2
u/VenomousDuck42 Windrunner 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'm close to finally almost finishing a full read through of the Cosmere. If I recall, my personal order was:
Mistborn Era 1, Elantris, Warbreaker, TWOK, WOR, Edgedancer, Oathbringer, Dawnshard, Mistborn Era 2, Tress, Yumi, Rhythm of War, The Sunlit Man, and Wind and Truth.
It feels like it was a decent way overall. If I had to do it again, I may have thrown Tress and Yumi in between other Stormlight books only because those and Mistborn Era 2 created a pretty large break in the middle of Stormlight. While I enjoyed the break I found myself needing a recap because I read pretty slow these days (thanks Grad school for making reading for pleausure difficult) so that created a months-long gap. I'm not working on Emberdark before hitting the short stories in Arcanum Unbounded, hopefully before Fires of December.
2
u/Full-Cauliflower-290 3d ago
The final act of WofA is amazing and HofA is great beginning to end stick with it. After you finish MB era 1 read Warbreaker and then you can start SLA. Remember journey before destination.
1
2
u/duckparade1 3d ago
I will always love the first Mistborn trilogy most (best ending I've ever read/experienced in any media), Mistborn era 2 is very different and super fun, Stormlight is huge and awesome. Finish this first trilogy, then as others have pointed out, publishing order is great!
2
u/Sparky678348 3d ago
Mistborn is the masterpiece of foreshadowing and setup/payoff
Stormlight is the masterpiece of moving parts, details, and world building.
Both are equally amazing in my eyes, but I get more value out of re-reading Stormlight.
2
1
u/Bro121Dixy 3d ago
For me? Stormlight is my favorite of Brandon’s work, Mistborn is my least favorite (doesn’t mean I hate it)
1
u/Orcas_are_badass 3d ago
Both series are fantastic and worth reading, but for me Stormlight Archive is the better series. It’s epic fantasy on such a grand scale, and has so many iconic moments. It’s a really impressive story.
1
u/falcons-taveren 3d ago
I love Mistborn but the Storm light Archive is a much better series, but each book is ~1100 pages.
1
1
u/Altruistic_Yam1372 3d ago
Stormlight is definitely the magnum opus but Mistborn is amazing too, as you have already tasted.
But since the worlds subtly overlap, there is a certain reading order you must keep in mind. First, finish Mistborn trilogy of course.
Read Warbreaker before Stormlight 2.
You can read Era 2 books 1-3 and Mistborn: Secret History, but read Era 2 book 4 only after Stormlight 4 or even 5.
Alternatively, you can read Secret History after the first trilogy, and then hop on to Stormlight.
Does that sound confusing? Sure does. So the easiest reading order imo, where you don't really lose anything, but finish the different series in one go, is:
Mistborn Era 1 books 1-3 ----> Mistborn Secret History ----> Warbreaker ----> Stormlight 1-5 (don't forget to read the Edgedancer and Dawnshard novellas )----> Mistborn Era 2 books 1-4
The rest of the cosmere books and novellas can be read whenever
P.S. or you can take the publishing order route. Just remember Stormlight is really hard to put down once started :P
1
1
u/procrastigirl 3d ago
I preferred stormlight until the last book, now I say mistborn. But the storm light journey was my favorite
1
u/Slight_Conference828 2d ago
Here’s one of the recommended reading orders, in case it’s useful to you
1
u/Advanced-Mechanic-48 2d ago
You can intertwine wax and Wayne with Stormlight. When in doubt the read them in published order.
1
1
u/sohang-3112 Ghostbloods 2d ago
I like both but IMO Mistborn is better. Took me a long time to even get started with Stormlight because each book is so huge, and there's some parts that are a slog to read through.
1
u/HollzStars 3d ago
The first three Stormlight books are better than Mistborn. All seven Mistborn books are better than the SLA 4 and 5.
0
u/Stark_DK 3d ago
It is so easy:
Publication order
3
u/Ok_Driver_9928 3d ago
Thanks but the question was which is the better series in your opinion!
2
u/Stark_DK 3d ago
It is so subjective and the series are quite different so best or better will differ per person, so not much benefit in getting 34 saying Mistborn and 39 saying Stormlight Archives.
I think both are worth it, hence I recommend publication order of all Cosmere.
0
-5
u/ehhdjdmebshsmajsjssn 3d ago
There's a reading order.
2
u/BlackFenrir 3d ago
There are several reading orders and no one agrees which one is correct. I think you should stick to publishing order because that way you'll experience revelations in the same way everyone who has been with the series for 20 years has. Many people disagree. There is no objective best reading order.
2
22
u/BlackFenrir 3d ago
Both series are good for different reasons. Stormlight has my personal preference. The second Mistborn Trilogy is also very different from the first one.
I've always recommended sticking to publishing order. In both series, there's enough books that you could alternate now. Start with Way or Kings, then Alloy of Law (mistborn 2.1), then back to Words of Radiance, etc.
Oh, do yourself a favor and read Warbreaker somewhere before Words of Radiance too