Skip to content

Arcanum Unbounded

Arcanum Unbounded

the Cosmere collection
Several booksEpic FantasyFantasy
Pages
672
Published
2016
Language
English

Synopsis

Arcanum Unbounded collects Sanderson's Cosmere short fiction, bringing together novellas and stories set across the Cosmere's various worlds. The collection includes The Emperor's Soul, The Hope of Elantris, The Eleventh Metal, Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (Episodes Twenty-Eight through Thirty), Mistborn: Secret History, White Sand (prose excerpt), Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, Sixth of the Dusk, and Edgedancer, along with essays describing each Cosmere world. Each story is introduced by Khriss, an in-universe scholar who provides context about the planet and its connection to the broader Cosmere. Published in 2016, it is the definitive collection of Cosmere short fiction and the best single volume for understanding how the universe's worlds relate to each other.

Prose complexity
7/10

Books inside

7 books
Book cover of The Emperor's Soul
#1.00
The Emperor's Soul
Book cover of The Eleventh Metal
#3.00
The Eleventh Metal
No cover available
#4.00
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania
Book cover of Secret History
#5.00
Secret History
Book cover of Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell
#7.00
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell
Book cover of Sixth of the Dusk
#8.00
Sixth of the Dusk
Book cover of Edgedancer
#9.00
Edgedancer

Vibe

AtmosphericThought-ProvokingAdventurousComplex
Multiple POVsMystery BoxSurvivalMorally GreySacrifice

Genres

Epic Fantasy Fantasy Short Stories

About the author

B
Brandon Sanderson

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1975, Brandon Sanderson spent his early twenties working graveyard shifts at a hotel — writing novels at the front desk between guest check-ins. By the time his debut, Elantris, was published by Tor Books in 2005, he had completed thirteen novels in the drawer. His subsequent Mistborn trilogy and the ongoing Stormlight Archive series established him as the primary architect of the Cosmere, an interconnected fictional universe in which most of his fantasy series share...

Characters

KhrissSupporting

An in-universe Cosmere scholar who provides introductory essays for each world in the collection — a character with significance in the broader Cosmere.

All characters in Arcanum Unbounded

Frequently asked questions

  • What stories are included in Arcanum Unbounded?

    The collection includes The Emperor's Soul, The Hope of Elantris, The Eleventh Metal, Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (Episodes Twenty-Eight through Thirty), Mistborn: Secret History, White Sand (prose excerpt), Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, Sixth of the Dusk, and Edgedancer.

  • Is Arcanum Unbounded a good starting point for the Cosmere?

    It is better as a complement to having read some Cosmere novels rather than a starting point. Several stories (especially Secret History) require prior knowledge of main series events to be read without major spoilers.

  • Who is Khriss?

    Khriss is an in-universe Cosmere scholar who writes the introductory essays for each world in the collection. She is a character with a history in Sanderson's Cosmere who studies the various worlds from an academic distance.

  • Are any of these stories available separately?

    Yes — The Emperor's Soul, Edgedancer, and Mistborn: Secret History are all available as separate publications. Arcanum Unbounded is the only place to find The Hope of Elantris, The Eleventh Metal, Shadows for Silence, and the prose White Sand.

Read all 3 reviews