Warbreaker

by Brandon Sanderson

On the tropical nation of Hallandren, gods walk among mortals - Returned who are worshipped in the Court of Gods, sustained by the weekly sacrifice of a human Breath. Breath is the currency of power here: it can be given, traded, or hoarded to unlock extraordinary abilities, and those who surrender theirs become Drabs, drained of colour and vitality. When two princesses from the austere mountain kingdom of Idris are drawn into Hallandren's politics - one sent to marry the God King, the other to rescue her - they find themselves entangled in a web of mercenaries, immortal schemers, and an ancient sentient sword that hungers to destroy evil. The deeper they look, the more they discover that the histories both nations were raised on may be lies. Set on the planet Nalthis in the Cosmere, the Warbreaker series explores a world where colour is magic, identity is mutable, and the most dangerous weapons have minds of their own.

Part of The Cosmere

The Cosmere is a fictional shared universe where many of Brandon Sanderson's books take place. As a result, books set in the Cosmere share a single cosmology and underlying rules of magic, and some characters from one world will make appearances on other worlds. Despite the connections, Brandon has remained clear that one does not need any knowledge of the broader Cosmere to read, understand, or enjoy books that take place in the Cosmere. The core sequence of the Cosmere will consist of the Dragonsteel series, the Elantris trilogy, at least four eras of the Mistborn series, and The Stormlight Archive. The story of the cosmere does not include any books that reference Earth, as Earth is not in the Cosmere. The shared "creation myth" of the Cosmere revolves around Adonalsium, the power of creation, which was broken into sixteen pieces called Shards in an event known as the Shattering of Adonalsium. The Shards are effectively gods, and magic is derived from their power.

Publication Order

1
Warbreaker
2009