Mark what you have read. Pick what you want. Get one book with a direct link.
What have you already read?
Click any book you have finished. Skip what you have not started.
What do you want right now?
Frequently Asked Questions
What Stormlight Archive book should I read first?
The Way of Kings (2010). Always. 1,007 pages, deliberately slow for the first 200. Push through.
What should I read after The Way of Kings?
Words of Radiance. No gap needed. The story continues directly.
Do I need to read the novellas?
Edgedancer before Oathbringer: recommended. Dawnshard before Rhythm of War: recommended. Both are short (226 and 169 pages).
Why "What Should I Read Next" Is Harder Than It Sounds for This Series
The Stormlight Archive is not a simple linear series once you consider the wider Cosmere. There are five main-line books, a novella that some readers place mid-series and others treat as optional, and cross-series connections to Warbreaker and Mistborn that reward reading in a specific order without being strictly required. This tool exists because "just read them in publication order" is correct for most people but genuinely wrong for a meaningful subset of readers depending on what they already have read and what they want out of the next book.
How This Tool Decides Your Next Book
Rather than assuming everyone wants the same experience, this tool asks what you have already read and cross-references it against the recommended reading paths Sanderson himself has discussed, plus the practical reality of what pays off best directly afterward. Someone who just finished Words of Radiance gets a different, better-informed recommendation than someone who just finished The Way of Kings for the first time, even though both are technically "partway through Stormlight."
The Two Reading Paths This Tool Covers
Standalone path - read the five Stormlight Archive books in publication order with nothing else required. This is the correct path for most readers and loses nothing essential from the main story.
Full Cosmere path - interleave Warbreaker before Oathbringer and Mistborn at points along the way, for readers who want every crossover character and reference to land with full context rather than being noticed only in hindsight.
Why the Tool Gives You One Book, Not a List
A list of five books you could read next is not actually a recommendation - it is homework. This tool is built to commit to a single answer based on your specific situation, because indecision is the main reason readers stall out mid-series for months at a time. You get one book and a direct purchase link, not a menu.
More Reading Order Help
For the complete breakdown of both paths in full detail, see the full reading order guide, or if you are brand new to the series entirely, start with the beginner's guide instead.