Brandon Sanderson's 2012 novella Legion stands out as something of an anomaly among his highly acclaimed bibliography, though it's not for negative reasons. Firstly, Legion is shorter than most of Sanderson's other works, and this has led to many of his fanbase embracing it as a quicker way to access his celebrated and unique writing style. Compared to his lengthy novels in series like The Stormlight Archives, the novella-length Legion feels incredibly digestible.

The other reason the novella stands out is that, unlike the overwhelming majority of Brandon Sanderson's books, Legion is set in the real world (albeit with, of course, a mystical fantasy twist). The story of Legion and its sequels focuses on Stephen Leeds, an investigator with the unique ability to conjure various hallucinated "personae" that help him with his cases (and, often, to evade the many researchers hunting him down). It's definitely unique among Brandon Sanderson novels, and thoroughly recommended to fans who want to experience the writer experimenting with a more grounded setting than his usual epic high-fantasy worlds.

18 The Rithmatist

Sanderson's Take On Young Adult Fantasy

Just as Legion stands out among the best Brandon Sanderson novels partly because it's a break from the author's typical work, the same can be said for 2013's The Rithmatist. The first volume in a planned series, The Rithmatist is a fully blown Steampunk adventure aimed at a teen audience. Seeing Sanderson try his hand at YA fiction is definitely worth the read, and the author doesn't struggle to make his ideas more digestible for younger readers.

While the pacing of The Rithmatist is sometimes criticized for spending a little too long on its worldbuilding, it's nevertheless an exhilarating read, especially for those fans who are at an age that may see them struggling with some of his heavier volumes like those of the Mistborn or The Stormlight Archives. Like many of the author's other books, the setting of The Rithmatist is also worth exploring, and Sanderson creates a lot of interesting concepts in his unique gear and cog-filled steampunk world.

17 Steelheart

The First Novel In The Reckoners Series

Legion may be noteworthy for being set in the real world, but it's not the only Brandon Sanderson novel among his best works that's used reality as a foundation for building a fantastical world. However, while Legion simply adds self-contained dashes of the fantastical and unexplained to the modern world as readers know it, the YA superhero novels of The Reckoners series bend reality much more liberally. 2013's Steelheart, the first novel in The Reckoners series, takes readers to an America forever changed by the emergence of humans with extraordinary abilities known as "epics".

The novel focuses on David, a young boy living in Newcago (formerly Chicago) that's now under the tyrannical rule of the titular Epic, Steelheart. Sanderson uses the first The Reckoners novel to fully immerse readers in his unique superpowered dystopia, and despite it being YA, it can get incredibly dark. Like Legion and The Rithmatist, The Reckoners novels feel somewhat detached from Brandon Sanderson's more well-known works, but this doesn't detract from them in any way, and Steelheart remains an incredibly worthwhile read and a highlight of the author's bibliography.

16 Shadows Of Self

An Improved Second Installment In The Mistborn 2 Series

Shadows of Self is the second novel in the second era of Mistborn novels, following The Alloys of Law. Like the first book, Shadows of Self has a lot of growing pains in getting the new series and its world underway, but it is also a vast improvement over the first novel. It feels as though Sanderson is gaining his footing in this world with the world-building providing a lot more excitement and some pivotal developments to the larger universe that will please fans.

The characters remain a little hit-or-miss, with Sanderson still struggling to define them as truly layered figures in the story. However, the main characters do begin to take shape a little more in this story and Sanderson starts to have fun with them. Alas, in of the more lighthearted aspects of the book, the humor can often be the most difficult thing to overcome with the dialogue feeling particularly forced when going for a laugh.

15 Elantris

Sanderson's First Published Novel

2005's Elantris represents Brandon Sanderson's big break as an author, and it remains one of his best books so far. In some ways, the incentive for established Brandon Sanderson fans to want to read Elantris is obvious. As his first published novel, it will always hold a significant place in his bibliography. What's more, the author's talent for crafting epic and thrilling high-fantasy adventures is evident with every turn of the page, and it's easy to see how the writer behind Elantris went on to become the matured and refined Brandon Sanderson behind series like The Stormlight Archive.

However, even without the historical significance of being the first all of Brandon Sanderson's novels, Elantris still stands in its own right, both as and enjoyable read and one of the author's best works. The novel went down well with critics when it released, with notable praise being given to the surprisingly strong world-building skills that then-new author Sanderson would soon become known for. Interestingly, the series-creating Sanderson has yet to write a sequel to Elantris, though he did release a short story and novella in the same world.

14 The Bands Of Mourning

The Mistborn 2 Saga Is Elevated With Memorable Characters

The Bands of Mourning is the third and penultimate book in the Mistborn 2 series which is part of the issue with the story. In many ways, the book feels like it only serves to set up the more interesting ending to the story. However, The Bands of Mourning also stands out from the previous books in this series, making several improvements on the shortcomings of the Mistborn 2 series thus far.

While Wax and Wayne made for lackluster characters in the initial books, Sanderson seems to be more tuned into the characters this time around, making them a lot more likable and avoiding the caricature aspects that plagued the first two books. However, the real standout is the character of Steris who steals the show after being rather forgettable before. In the end, it is a turning point for the Mistborn 2 series, proving that it is far from a failure.

13 The Sunlit Man

The Final Secret Projects Book

The Sunlit Man was the final book released as part of Sanderson's Secret Projects Kickstarter campaign. The success of the campaign was a testament to how beloved the author is as it became the most successful Kickstarter campaign of all time. However, that legacy is perhaps ed more than the actual final installment in this self-publishing era of Sanderson's career.

The Sunlit Man feels like something specifically created for die-hard Sanderson fans, which also means that it can be a little inaccessible to anyone else. He does not feel the need to fill in any blanks or give typical resolutions as he is just taking his dedicated fans on a journey. However, there are some special aspects to the story, including the character of Nomad who has been compared to the titular hero from the Mad Max movies.

12 The Well Of Ascension

An Integral Chapter In The Mistborn Saga

In some ways, ranking every Brandon Sanderson book can be difficult, because so many of his individual books are part of the wider series. Of all the series Sanderson has created, however, Mistborn holds a special place in the hearts of many readers, and it's the way that many fantasy fans discovered him. 2007's The Well Of Ascension is the second Mistborn book to be released.

While it may not be as highly regarded as some other Mistborn stories, such as 2006's The Final Empire or 2008's The Hero of Ages, it still remains one of the best books Brandon Sanderson has written. The Well Of Ascension is the second book in the first Mistborn trilogy, so it isn't as accessible as much as some of the author's other books. However, this doesn't change the fact that it's an incredibly gripping and engaging fantasy novel.

What's more, writing the second entry in a trilogy is no easy task, yet Sanderson has created a story that perfectly ties together The Final Empire and The Hero of Ages and, at the same time, also feels like a developed story, rather than just multiple chapters of filler material (a trap many fantasy trilogies unknowingly fall into).

11 Warbreaker

Warbreaker Is One Of Sanderson's Best Standalone Fantasy Novels

Warbreaker is one of Sanderson's earlier novels that doesn't get enough credit. While it's not directly part of any of his main series, the book is part of the Cosmere universe and has direct ties to events in The Stormlight Archive, making it a must-read for any fans of that saga. As for Warbreaker itself, it has many of the qualities that Sanderson stories are known for: compelling magic, riveting pacing, and excellent characters, with the benefit of being compact in a one-off installment.

While Elantris has a follow-up novella and sequels planned, Warbreaker is a self-contained story, making it one of the most accessible arcs to enjoy from start to finish in Sanderson's world. It boasts a 4.3 score from readers on GoodReads, which is on the lower end compared to novels in The Stormlight Archive but still an impressive number overall. Warbreaker isn't quite as well-developed as Sanderson's larger series, as his greatest skills are in long-term plotting and slow-burn character arcs, but it's still a highly enjoyable read.