Brandon Sanderson (By Teens/For Teens)

I fell down the Brandon Sanderson rabbit hole last year after a friend recommended I read Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians. Let’s just say I’ve never been able to recover.

Now, some of you might be asking, “Who the heck is Brandon Sanderson?”

I’ll give you the brief run-down:

Brandon Sanderson is the author of over twenty novels in the SFF genre. He is most well-known for his Cosmere universe (Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, Elantris, etc.) and finishing Robert Jordan’s high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. His first published novel was Elantris in 2005. He is a fifteen time New York Times best-selling author. He also lives in Utah.

If you’re interested in joining me in the hole but don’t know where to start, I have a few recommendations to make.

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians

“So there I was, tied to an altar made from outdated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil Librarians.”

If that opening line above doesn’t pique your interest, I don’t know what will.

The concept of this book is so fun. It takes superhero fiction and turns it on its head by asking, “What if the superheroes had everyday powers like being late, tripping, or breaking things?”

This series is what got me hooked on Sanderson. It’s fast-paced, witty, and really wacky. If you enjoy writing from authors like Brandon Mull, Rick Riordan, or Lemony Snicket, I think you’ll be right at home with this series. It’s a great place to start.

Skyward

“You get to choose who you are. Legacy, memories of the past, can serve us well. But we cannot let them define us. When heritage becomes a box instead of an inspiration, it has gone too far.”

This series is a little more standard YA SFF fare. In describing the series, I think the author puts it best:

“How to Train Your Dragon but instead it's a girl who finds a spaceship and goes to Top Gun school. It's like a mashup between Top Gun and Ender's Game and How to Train Your Dragon with an old broken-down spaceship with a really weird personality.”

It’s got aliens, aviation, robots, space—the whole bit. If you enjoy books like Ender’s Game or The City of Ember, this series will be right up your alley. Books 1-2 are currently out with at least two more planned.

The Stormlight Archive

“Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination.”

I get chills just thinking about this series. To me, it’s Brandon Sanderson’s magnum opus: a truly epic fantasy with outstanding characterization, world-building, and plotting. I’ve never been a big fan of fantasy, but I think this series has converted me.

Because the series is so big (and it’s only going to get bigger: book 4 is coming out in November, with 10 books planned in total) it’s honestly kind of hard to describe.

It’s set on the planet of Roshar, a world ravaged by storm and war. Honor is dead. A slave fights a war, struggling to survive. A general leads his armies, trying to uncover the meaning behind the visions he receives. A young woman seeks training under the hands of a scholar, but only to eventually rob her in order to save her family. Ancient magic that was once lost appears to be returning along with an order of knights who betrayed humanity centuries ago.

So if you’re into that kind of stuff (and why wouldn’t you be? It’s way cool sounding), I wholeheartedly recommend this series.

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If you are a teen and would like to contribute a book or author review, email librarydirector@highlandcity.org.