Author Brandon Sanderson, one of the most prolific and popular names in contemporary fantasy, has shared a list of favourite books that have shaped his own writing and offer fans something to read between Cosmere instalments. As a creative writing teacher and lecturer on the genre, Sanderson has long championed both classic and contemporary authors, and this selection spans childhood influences to modern series still awaiting completion.

The recommendations range from Barbara Hambly's Dragonbane, which Sanderson credits with showing him fiction's emotional power, to genre staples such as Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince, Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana, and Garth Nix's Sabriel. Also featured are Terry Pratchett's The Truth (Pratchett was reportedly Sanderson's favourite living author until his death in 2015), Patrick Rothfuss's long-awaited Kingkiller Chronicle, Brent Weeks's Lightbringer series, and N.K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

– Dragonbane by Barbara Hambly – a formative childhood read for Sanderson
– Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn – political intrigue after a prince inherits power
– Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay – fantasy inspired by Renaissance Italian history
– Sabriel by Garth Nix – a teenage necromancer protects the Old Kingdom
– The Truth by Terry Pratchett – Discworld satire about a fledgling newspaper
– The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – legendary warrior recounts his past
– The Black Prism by Brent Weeks – a complex, light-based magic system
– The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin – a power struggle involving enslaved gods