Best Brandon Sanderson Audiobooks
Brandon Sanderson has built something no other fantasy writer has attempted at this scale: a shared universe spanning dozens of novels where the magic systems are as rigorously logical as physics. Mistborn's allomancy and the Stormlight Archive's surgebinding aren't mystical handwaving — they have rules, costs, and consequences that Sanderson exploits with the precision of a chess grandmaster. His plotting rewards patience; foreshadowing planted hundreds of pages earlier detonates at exactly the right moment. The prose is clean and propulsive, never showy, always in service of momentum. Tress of the Emerald Sea shows he can also work small and charming without losing any of his structural discipline. The ideal Sanderson reader loves systems, payoffs, and the particular satisfaction of a story that keeps every promise it made.
Where to Start with Brandon Sanderson
- Best entry point → The Way of Kings
- Best standalone → Tor.com: Selected Original Fiction, 2008-2012
- Start The Mistborn Saga series → The Final Empire
- Short listen, big payoff → Dawnshard
- Underrated but highly rated → The Lost Metal
- What fans keep coming back to → The Well of Ascension
- Best narrator for Brandon Sanderson → Oathbringer
- Highest rated by listeners → Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2)
Best Brandon Sanderson Audiobooks
- 1
Words of Radiance
The Stormlight Archive • Book 2
Narrated by Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
★ 4.96 ABR Score (587.5K ratings)★ 4.76 Goodreads (498.0K) ★ 4.9 Audible (89.5K)More about this pick
Kaladin leads the royal guard while Shallan seeks ancient secrets and Dalinar unites the war camps. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading handle Sanderson's massive cast and intricate magic systems flawlessly.
- 2
The Way of Kings
The Cosmere • Book 1
Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
★ 4.89 ABR Score (796.4K ratings)★ 4.66 Goodreads (683.1K) ★ 4.84 Audible (113.2K)More about this pick
On storm-ravaged Roshar, a slave fights in bridge crews while a prince questions his honor during an endless war. The dual narration by Reading and Kramer handles Sanderson's massive world-building seamlessly.
- 3
The Hero of Ages
The Mistborn Saga • Book 3
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.83 ABR Score (680.8K ratings)★ 4.56 Goodreads (606.0K) ★ 4.85 Audible (74.8K)More about this pick
Vin faces the apocalyptic Deepness while Elend builds his kingdom, as Sanderson concludes his Mistborn trilogy with the ultimate test of heroism and sacrifice.
- 4
Oathbringer
The Stormlight Archive • Book 3
Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
★ 4.83 ABR Score (432.0K ratings)★ 4.6 Goodreads (365.0K) ★ 4.84 Audible (67.0K)More about this pick
Dalinar's flashbacks to his violent past and the Knights Radiant's return unfold across 55+ hours that Kate Reading and Michael Kramer navigate expertly.
- 5
The Final Empire
The Mistborn Saga • Book 1
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.78 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)★ 4.49 Goodreads (999.3K) ★ 4.79 Audible (97.4K)More about this pick
Street thief Vin discovers she can ingest metals to gain magical powers, then joins a heist to overthrow an immortal emperor. Sanderson creates a unique magic system where swallowing steel lets you fly and pewter enhances strength.
- 6
The Gathering Storm
The Wheel of Time • Book 12
by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
★ 4.77 ABR Score (224.4K ratings)★ 4.44 Goodreads (178.7K) ★ 4.9 Audible (45.7K)More about this pick
Brandon Sanderson takes over Jordan's epic as Rand's madness deepens and Egwene fights to reunite the fractured White Tower before the Last Battle arrives.
- 7
Towers of Midnight
The Wheel of Time • Book 13
by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
★ 4.77 ABR Score (211.0K ratings)★ 4.48 Goodreads (176.1K) ★ 4.89 Audible (34.9K)More about this pick
Perrin leads the Whitecloak trials while Mat prepares for the Last Battle in this penultimate Wheel of Time volume. Kate Reading and Michael Kramer have become the definitive voices of Jordan's world, handling dozens of characters with seamless consistency.
- 8
The Well of Ascension
The Mistborn Saga • Book 2
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.70 ABR Score (745.6K ratings)★ 4.38 Goodreads (671.8K) ★ 4.78 Audible (73.7K)More about this pick
After killing the immortal Lord Ruler, street thief turned Mistborn Vin must defend the capital from three armies while ancient prophecies suggest an even greater threat approaches. Kramer voices this complex middle volume expertly.
- 9
The Lost Metal
The Mistborn Saga • Book 7
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.70 ABR Score (136.9K ratings)★ 4.48 Goodreads (122.5K) ★ 4.86 Audible (14.4K)More about this pick
Wax faces his final confrontation with the Set as Scadrial hurtles toward an explosive conclusion to Sanderson's second Mistborn era. Michael Kramer has been the voice of this world for years, and his familiarity with every character pays off brilliantly here.
- 10
The Bands of Mourning
Mistborn, Era 2: Wax & Wayne • Book 3
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.66 ABR Score (220.8K ratings)★ 4.4 Goodreads (193.3K) ★ 4.81 Audible (27.4K)More about this pick
Wax and his crew pursue the Lord Ruler's legendary metalminds in a steampunk world where magic meets technology. Kramer's consistent narration grounds readers as Sanderson introduces new magic systems and expands his world's mythology beyond Scadrial's borders.
- 11
Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection
The Cosmere
Narrated by Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
★ 4.64 ABR Score (85.4K ratings)★ 4.43 Goodreads (66.7K) ★ 4.82 Audible (18.7K)More about this pick
This collection spans Sanderson's interconnected universe, featuring stories from each Cosmere world with their distinct magic systems.
- 12
Dawnshard
The Stormlight Archive #3.5 • Book 3
Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
★ 4.61 ABR Score (148.8K ratings)★ 4.34 Goodreads (136.9K) ★ 4.84 Audible (11.9K)More about this pick
Rysn leads an expedition to a mysterious island where ancient secrets and deadly Sleepless await. The dual narrator team excels with this quieter Stormlight novella that focuses on discovery rather than warfare.
- 13
Starsight
Skyward • Book 2
Narrated by Suzy Jackson
★ 4.61 ABR Score (133.0K ratings)★ 4.34 Goodreads (109.9K) ★ 4.77 Audible (23.1K)More about this pick
Spensa goes undercover among the alien Superiority to steal their hyperdrive technology, infiltrating the very empire that keeps her planet trapped. Suzy Jackson handles both Spensa's voice and the various alien characters with skill.
- 14
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
Hoid's Travails • Book 2
by Brandon Sanderson, Aliya Chen
Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
★ 4.57 ABR Score (121.8K ratings)★ 4.43 Goodreads (118.7K) ★ 4.82 Audible (3.1K)More about this pick
Two souls from opposite worlds—gardens versus nightmares, spirits versus technology—swap bodies and must save each other's realities. Reading and Kramer handle the dual perspectives with their trademark precision, switching seamlessly between meditative wonder and urban tension.
- 15
The Rithmatist
Rithmatist • Book 1
by Brandon Sanderson, Ben McSweeney
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.56 ABR Score (86.0K ratings)★ 4.25 Goodreads (75.3K) ★ 4.71 Audible (10.7K)More about this pick
Michael Kramer's performance elevates this magic-school mystery into something genuinely gripping—he nails the outsider protagonist's frustration while making the chalk-based magic system feel tactile and urgent.
- 16
Shadows of Self
Mistborn, Era 2: Wax & Wayne • Book 2
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.56 ABR Score (243.6K ratings)★ 4.26 Goodreads (211.7K) ★ 4.75 Audible (31.9K)More about this pick
Lawman Waxillium Ladrian faces a shapeshifting kandra assassin targeting government officials in this Wild West-meets-steampunk fantasy. Michael Kramer navigates Sanderson's intricate magic system as political conspiracy threatens the fragile democracy of Elendel.
- 17
Warbreaker
The Cosmere • Book 5
Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan
★ 4.55 ABR Score (320.0K ratings)★ 4.29 Goodreads (285.7K) ★ 4.71 Audible (34.3K)More about this pick
Two princess sisters navigate political marriage and divine magic in a world where gods are powered by human worship and color-based magic. Alyssa Bresnahan handles the complex magic system and political intrigue across this standalone Cosmere novel about divine responsibility.
- 18
The Alloy of Law
Mistborn, Era 2: Wax & Wayne • Book 1
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.53 ABR Score (335.9K ratings)★ 4.19 Goodreads (294.2K) ★ 4.72 Audible (41.7K)More about this pick
Wax returns from the frontier to inherit his family's city estate, bringing gunslinger skills to an industrial world with railroads and electricity. Michael Kramer voices this Mistborn sequel that trades epic fantasy for steampunk detective work with familiar magical rules.
- 19
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Hoid's Travails • Book 1
by Brandon Sanderson, Howard Lyon
Narrated by Michael Kramer
★ 4.50 ABR Score (302.4K ratings)★ 4.32 Goodreads (297.2K) ★ 4.74 Audible (5.1K)More about this pick
A simple island girl ventures across deadly spore seas to rescue her kidnapped love, with Sanderson's trademark magic systems governing every ocean. Michael Kramer brings warmth to this fairy-tale adventure that feels like The Princess Bride in a cosmere setting.
- 20
Wind and Truth
The Stormlight Archive • Book 5
Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
★ 4.45 ABR Score (160.9K ratings)★ 4.37 Goodreads (139.0K) ★ 4.6 Audible (21.9K)More about this pick
Sanderson concludes the first Stormlight arc with Dalinar's contest against a god while Roshar faces annihilation. Reading and Kramer handle the massive cast with their usual expertise across 60+ hours of epic fantasy.