The Emperor's Soul

It won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novella at LoneStarCon 3, the first Hugo Award won by Sanderson.

Both are set on the planet Sel in the Cosmere, but on different continents with different cultures and different magic systems. They can be read in either order with no dependency on each other.

The Emperor's Soul runs approximately 175 pages — a novella that can be read in a single sitting, making it one of the most accessible entry points to the Cosmere.

It was originally published in November 2012 by Tachyon Publications, and is also collected in Sanderson's Cosmere anthology Arcanum Unbounded.

A Forger creates seals — physical stamps — that rewrite the spiritual history of an object or person. The stamp only holds if the rewritten history is plausible given what the object actually is. The magic is deeply tied to the idea that objects have a soul shaped by their history.

Yes. It is short, self-contained, and introduces the Cosmere's tone and world-building depth without requiring any prior knowledge. It is widely recommended as a first Sanderson read alongside Elantris.