I don’t think any modern fantasy series feels bigger than Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive, right now. The books are huge, the stakes are huge, and the fandom is huge – AND GROWING! So, it makes sense that one question keeps coming up: is The Stormlight Archive finished?
This question keeps being asked for various reasons. The Stormlight Archive does not work like a trilogy (like his Mistborn era 1) or even like an ongoing sequence where each book clearly points to the next.
Sanderson has built this massive series as a long-form epic inside the Cosmere with distinct arcs. So, you might be wondering whether the currently published arc is complete, oris the entire Stormlight Archive series done for good.
The short answer to: is The Stormlight Archive finished?
No, The Stormlight Archive is not finished.
I am very happy to say that there will be more books in Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive since the release of Wind of Truth – which is book five in the series of a planned ten.
Sanderson plans to split the ten books in to two five-book arcs, with him even saying on his official FAQ that Wind of Truth acts as “a distinct ending for this sequence” – meaning books 1-5 are one complete story, only not the end of the full series.
To clear all that up, then:
The first major arc of The Stormlight Archive is complete with Wind of Truth, but the full series is not finished.
How many Stormlight Archive books are planned?
The plan remains ten books total, divided into two five-book arcs. The first five entires focus on one group of key characters, while the next five are expected to shift toward others – does this mean a whole new cast of characters for The Stormlight Archive?
At this point, the published main novels are:
- The Way of Kings
- Words of Radiance
- Oathbringer
- Rhythm of War
- Wind and Truth
There are also the novellas Edgedancer (read as book #2.5) and Dawnshard (read as book #3.5).
When will Brandon Sanderson finish The Stormlight Archive?
We have very little detail on when The Stormlight Archive will be finished. With a script to write for a possible Misborn movie with Apple TV, and a TV series for The Stormlight Archive, Sanderson has said his books will be releasing slower than they used to.
Considering the main book focus for Sanderson – after the Apple TV stuff – is Ghostbloods, I don’t think we’ll see another Stormlight book in the next ten years. I will be happy to be proven wrong, though!
Should you start The Stormlight Archive now or wait?
That depends on what kind of reader you are.
Wind and Truth did not finish the entire series, but it did finish the first arc. I think you can read books 1-5 as a completed arc and view it as a finished series if you want, then enjoy “Part 2” when it eventually comes out.
This isn’t a Song of Ice and Fire or Kingkiller Chronicle-type situation. The first five books of The Stormlight Archive are a full story, and we can trust (from his entire career) that Brandon Sanderson will complete the full ten books at some point.
TL;DR: FAQ on Whether The Stormlight Archive is Finished
No. Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive is not finished. The first five-book arc is complete, but the full series is planned as ten books split into two five-book arcs.
Brandon Sanderson has said The Stormlight Archive is planned as 10 books, divided into two five-book arcs.
No. Wind and Truth ends the first arc of The Stormlight Archive, not the entire series.
Brandon Sanderson said in his 2024 State of the Sanderson that he would likely begin deeper work on Stormlight 6 in 2029 and was aiming for a late 2031 release.
