Best Brandon Sanderson Audiobooks
Where to Start with Brandon Sanderson
- Best entry point → The Way of Kings
- Best standalone → The Original
- 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)48h 15m listening time • Released 2014The second Stormlight Archive book surpasses the first — the magic system, the characters, and the worldbuilding all deepen into one of epic fantasy's greatest achievements.
- 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)45h 30m listening time • Released 2010Sanderson's most ambitious work — a 45-hour epic with one of the most intricately designed magic systems in fantasy, and characters whose growth pays off magnificently.
- 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)27h 25m listening time • Released 2008Michael Kramer's narration elevates this finale into something transcendent—his command of Vin's internal devastation and the apocalyptic scope makes the 27-hour journey feel essential, not exhausting.
- 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)55h 5m listening time • Released 2017Kate Reading and Michael Kramer elevate this sprawling epic into something transcendent—their dual narration captures three interconnected characters with such distinct emotional depth that 55 hours vanishes. Oathbringer is where Sanderson's intricate magic system and moral complexity finally match the scope of his ambition.
- 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)24h 39m listening time • Released 2008The best entry point into Sanderson — a heist story set in a world where the Dark Lord won, with one of the cleverest magic systems ever devised.
- 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)41h 47m listening time • Released 2013Kramer and Reading's dual narration finally gives the Wheel of Time the vocal landscape it deserves, turning a sprawling epic into something genuinely intimate and propulsive.
- 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)38h 21m listening time • Released 2010Kate Reading and Michael Kramer elevate the emotional weight of Jordan's endgame—their dual narration makes the converging POVs feel like separate threads tightening toward catastrophe, and they nail the quieter character breakthroughs that matter most before the final battle.
- 8
Rhythm of War
The Stormlight Archive • Book 4
Narrated by Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
★ 4.76 ABR Score (287.4K ratings)★ 4.58 Goodreads (245.5K) ★ 4.81 Audible (41.8K)57h 26m listening time • Released 2020Kate Reading and Michael Kramer elevate this epic's sprawling POVs into something genuinely cinematic—their dual narration makes Sanderson's intricate character work land harder than it has any right to at 57 hours.
- 9
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)28h 56m listening time • Released 2009Michael Kramer's narration elevates Sanderson's sprawling sequel into something genuinely gripping—his voice work transforms Vin's internal struggle from competent to devastating, making this 29-hour epic feel essential rather than exhausting.
- 10
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)18h 46m listening time • Released 2022Michael Kramer brings surgical precision to Sanderson's sprawling finale, keeping you locked in through 18+ hours of intricate plotting and emotional payoffs that actually land. This is the rare epic fantasy audiobook where the narrator's control matches the author's ambition.
- 11
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)14h 41m listening time • Released 2016Michael Kramer's narration elevates this already brilliant heist-mystery, bringing razor-sharp distinction to Sanderson's cast while keeping the intricate magic system crystal clear at audiobook pace.
- 12
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)22h 31m listening time • Released 2016Kramer and Reading switch seamlessly between worlds, making each magic system feel distinct and alive—this is the perfect audiobook entry point to the Cosmere's interconnected universes.
- 13
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)7h 5m listening time • Released 2022Kate Reading and Michael Kramer elevate this novella into something that feels essential, perfectly capturing the intimacy between Rysn and her mysterious companion while building genuine tension around the island's dark secrets.
- 14
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)14h 30m listening time • Released 2019 - 15
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)14h 43m listening time • Released 2024Kate Reading and Michael Kramer's dual narration captures the stark contrast between these two worlds so perfectly that you feel the characters' disorientation as much as they do.
- 16
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)10h 23m listening time • Released 2013Michael 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.
- 17
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)12h 37m listening time • Released 2015Michael Kramer's narration transforms this noir-tinged fantasy into something darker and sharper than the first book, making Waxillium's moral compromises hit harder than they would on the page.
- 18
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)24h 56m listening time • Released 2015A standalone Sanderson that showcases his best qualities — two princesses, a reluctant god, and a magic system based on color and breath that's as elegant as it gets.
- 19
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)10h 48m listening time • Released 2011Michael Kramer's performance transforms this into a lean, propulsive Western-fantasy hybrid that hooks you in ways the original trilogy doesn't. It's the rare sequel that improves on its predecessor.
- 20
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)12h 27m listening time • Released 2024Michael Kramer's warm, conversational narration transforms Sanderson's fairy tale into pure comfort fantasy—the kind of audiobook that makes you want to extend your commute just to hear what happens next.