Unlocking ‘The Stormlight Archives’: A Cosmere Explainer
The universes of fantasy are vast, but few are as prolific as the Cosmere, the dwarf galaxy from The Stormlight Archives.
Welcome in, adventurers! When it comes to fantasy epics, half the job is a fantastic setting. The adventurers of Frodo and the Fellowship wouldn’t be as exciting without Middle-earth. But sometimes, a fantasy epic can’t be confined to just one world. That’s precisely the case in Brian Sanderson’s shared universe of The Stormlight Archive. While many of the books take place in the world of Roshar, countless others are mentioned or referenced throughout the series. To truly understand the realms and struggles, you first need to understand the scope of the Cosmere.
What is Cosmere?
When Brian Sanderson created his books, he was encouraged to develop a shared universe for his stories, rather than having them all on a single world. This provides the flexibility to tell a story without contradiction and gives us different insights into how the worlds operate. In addition, if a publisher wasn’t fond of one book, they could pitch another within the same cosmos.
Sanderson agreed, but rather than making a series of independent books, he crafted a “hidden epic.” Each book would stand alone for all intents and purposes, but on a deeper level, it was part of the deeper tale of the universe. From this, the Cosmere dwarf galaxy was born.
Because the worlds exist in the same universe, they have the same spatial bodies and a shared “magic system.” How it is utilized, however, varies from world to world. The deeper story and concept of the universe is the same from book to book. Each world is seeded with one or more “shards”, powerful artifacts that shape the world they inhabit. Thanks to these shards, the inhabitants of each world can wield powerful magic.
Sanderson was careful to seed the shared elements slowly enough that they didn’t affect the casual reader’s enjoyment. While a knowledge of the shared universe isn’t required, the reading experience is heightened once you know the deeper connections. Characters that appear in different places, shared celestial bodies, and the shards are all part of Sanderson’s sprawling world.
The Shardworlds
Each world of the Cosmere is host to one or more “shards.” They represent the shattered pieces of Adonalsium, a powerful, omnipotent being. Most of the action of The Stormlight Archive takes place on the world of Roshar. However, the other worlds show up in one or more of Sanderson’s other works. Notably, the world of Scadrial is the setting for Mistborn, which is heavily featured in the upcoming Cosmere RPG.
The Might of Cosmere: Shardcraft
Of all the weapons in the Cosmere universe, none are quite as deadly as the semi-sentient Shardblades. These magical weapons bear a small bit on intelligence. It is believed that they were once the spirits of powerful warriors. They are unique, in that they do no damage to living flesh. They can effortlessly slice through all inorganic matter, making a mockery of armor, but they leave no marks on skin. That doesn’t make them any less deadly, however, as they are able to sever the very souls of their victims. Thankfully, there are precious few of these deadly weapons in existence.
Like the dragons of Eragon, a shardblade chooses its wielder and only ever has one. Blade and swordsman are bonded together on a spiritual level that is difficult to sever. The wielder can summon the blade to their hand with magic. They can even make it materialize out of thin air. Because of its ability to bypass armor and kill effortlessly, shardblades can turn the tide of battles. Thankfully, a style of armor called Shardplate can repel these blades. To wield a shardblade AND shardplate at the same time is the mark of a truly exceptional person.
The Stormlight Archive
Of all Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere novels, The Stormlight Archive series is easily his most well-known. The first novel was initially written in 2003 as part of a separate series. However, it wasn’t fully released to print until 2010 and differed significantly from the original manuscript. Sanderson had stated that he hoped to write a ten book series, spread across two sets of five novels.
As of September 2024, five of the books have been written, as well as two novellas set in the same universe. The other five are set to begin publication once Sanderson finishes his Mistborn trilogy and two sequels to Elantris, his first published work. These books also helped develop “Sanderson’s Law” for fantasy magic systems. In three simple steps, plus a bonus, Sanderson breaks down how to make magic compelling for fantasy authors. They are:
- An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic.
- Weaknesses, limits, and costs are more interesting than powers.
- The author should expand on what is already a part of the magic system before something entirely new is added, as this may otherwise entirely change how the magic system fits into the fictional world.
And of course, the secret fourth thing: Always err on the side of what’s awesome.
Cosmere RPG
A Cosmere RPG is currently in the works from Brotherwise Games. It began as a Kickstarter, and received a staggering amount of support, breaking multiple Kickstarter records. The game will cover both the Stormlight series as well as the upcoming Mistborn trilogy. Players will be able to explore Sanderson’s epic world, and uncover his expansive magic system. Will your character contact one of the legendary Shardblades and bring order to the Realm? You’ll be able to find out when the game releases in full in 2025. That is, of course, unless you Kickstarted the game, in which case your copies should arrive shortly.
Happy adventuring!
