The Stormlight Archive Books in Order
The Stormlight Archive is the largest single fantasy series in production: five published novels - each a thousand-plus pages, each built around one character's backstory and one escalation of the war against the god Odium on the storm-wracked world of Roshar. Wind and Truth (December 6, 2024) closed the first arc: ten books are planned, the back five are a sequel arc with a ten-year time skip and new lead characters, and Brandon Sanderson has said the sixth book is a decade out. That makes this the rare series page where the order question comes with a second, harder question - what to read while waiting - and both are answered below (2010–present).
Where to start
The Way of Kings (2010), book one - the thousand-page doorstop that starts it, following Kaladin the slave and Shallan the thief-scholar.
The complete list
Tick the boxes off as you read, or for the bookshelf.
| Year | Title | Series / type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Way of Kings | #1 — start here; Kaladin and Shallan | |
| 2014 | Words of Radiance | #2 | |
| 2016 | Edgedancer | Novella — between #2 and #3; Lift pays off in Oathbringer | |
| 2017 | Oathbringer | #3 | |
| 2020 | Dawnshard | Novella — between #3 and #4 | |
| 2020 | Rhythm of War | #4 | |
| 2024 | Wind and Truth | #5 · Dec 6 2024 — Arc 1 ends; Arc 2 ~2031 |
Does the reading order matter?
Strict publication order, with two novellas slotted in: The Way of Kings (2010), Words of Radiance (2014), Edgedancer (2016, novella - Lift's story, set between books two and three), Oathbringer (2017), Dawnshard (2020, novella - set between books three and four, introduces Rysn), Rhythm of War (2020), Wind and Truth (December 6, 2024) - the Arc 1 finale, structured around Dalinar's contest of champions. The two novellas are skippable but Edgedancer pays off directly in Oathbringer. Arc 2: books six through ten continue the story after a ten-year in-world gap with new flashback leads - Sanderson projects book six around 2031, between his Mistborn and other Cosmere work. Within the wider Cosmere, the Archive shares a universe with Mistborn and the rest; reading order between series is optional crossover, not requirement
Which one is the best?
The Way of Kings (2010), the foundation; Words of Radiance (2014), the fan favorite; Wind and Truth (2024), the arc-closer eleven years in the making.
Related guides
Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: Brandon Sanderson books in order, Wheel of Time books in order, Dune books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.
Make it a project
Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you read The Stormlight Archive books in?
Publication order: 5 novels + Edgedancer (pre-#3) and Dawnshard (pre-#4). Arc 2 ~2031, ten-year skip.
Where should I start with The Stormlight Archive?
The Way of Kings (2010), #1 of 5 published.
How many The Stormlight Archive books are there?
Five novels and two novellas published - over 5,500 pages - with Arc 1 complete as of Wind and Truth (December 6, 2024) and books six to ten planned as a sequel arc after a ten-year time skip. As of October 2026 this list is current.
What was The Stormlight Archive's first book?
The Way of Kings (2010) — the first row of the list above.