Should you read Dragonsteel Prime?

Yes.

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For those who need a little bit more convincing, let me qualify this a bit further. I will be fair to those not as invested in the Cosmere and say “maybe”. Dragonsteel Prime holds a curious place in the works of Brandon Sanderson. It is in the realm of the Cosmere, but isn’t cannon. His early readers loved it, but Sanderson didn’t publish it as a completed novel.

So who is it for? Let’s dive into what Dragonsteel Prime is (and isn’t), who might be interested in picking it up, and who should give it a pass.

What is Dragonsteel Prime?

Dragonsteel Prime is a novel Brandon Sanderson wrote just after Elantris. The book features a lot of early concepts and characters that we’ve seen bleed their way into his modern writing. Today, Dragonsteel Prime is available as a “Sanderson Curiosity”; non-canonical works that are early versions or abandoned works from Sanderon’s history. That doesn’t mean that they’re not “good”, they just aren’t up to Sanderson’s standards for publishing today.

Dragonsteel Prime is a story that shows Sanderson’s early plans for the Cosmere, and its DNA lives on today in the Stormlight Archive and other canon Cosmere stories. 

So what should you expect when reading it?

Anyone who has fully explored the Cosmere will find a lot to like, assuming you can keep the part of your brain constantly looking for Cosmere connections at bay. I won’t go too deep into spoilers, but here are just some of the familiar places / people you will see in Dragonsteel Prime.

• Bridge 4 and the Shattered Plains (Rock and Gaz are in the mix)
• Hoid
• Early Cosmere / Investiture Science
• People that we (now) have canonical references to, like Frost and the Sho Del.

Keep in mind that these aren’t the canon versions of these characters or places that we see in other works, more early experiments of these. If the Stormlight Archive is a freshly baked loaf of bread, this is the dough, still needing a few strength building folds (shout out to Brian Lagerstrom, the Brandon Sanderson of food YouTube).

Who should read Dragonsteel Prime?

Well that’s the question isn’t it. I will be the first to admit that Dragonsteel Prime isn’t for everyone. Technically, anyone can read it: it is free to download on Dragonsteelbooks.com as an ebook or audiobook. Where the book might fall short of expectations comes in its quality compared to modern works, especially the Secret Projects.

Many friends of mine who are daunted by the size of the Stormlight Archive books or the volume of Mistborn books have found a comfy home in the approachable size and storytelling in Tress of the Emerald Sea. Just because this is a free Sanderson book, doesn’t mean it's a good place for people who want to get a foot in the door in the Cosmere.

So who should read it? I think I can safely say that it's something best left for the die-hard Cosmere fans. Maybe you’ve exhausted the mainline Cosmere books and need something to hold you over until the next book comes out. Maybe you made a Cosmere fan site and want to tear each page apart to find subtle hints at future Cosmere plot points buried in Sanderson’s earliest works. Maybe you just want to experience what Sanderson’s earliest writings were like to better appreciate what’s been published today. All of these are great reasons to dive in, and if you have one of these goals in mind, you won’t be disappointed. 

Who shouldn’t read Dragonsteel Prime? If you are a casual reader, or someone who is on their journey to become invested in the Cosmere, you might want to hold off on this one. Some of the plot points are strikingly familiar, and you might find yourself recalling conflicting plot lines or confusing characters. If you are still on your journey through the Cosmere, this might be too distracting of a diversion to bring value.

Dragonsteel Prime is also not up to Sanderon’s current writing level: passages that would have been refined after multiple rounds of revisions didn’t get the love and attention they normally would. 

But…

Is it good?

Yeah, kinda. I read through Dragonsteel Prime when I ordered the hardcover edition from the Words of Radiance pre order campaign. That edition of the book is lovely, and it fits in great with the secret project books on my shelf. The audiobook (my preferred format) is well produced.

The story line is… eh. It’s a fun read, and if it wasn’t for the wealth of sublime writing in Sanderson’s modern catalog, I think this book would find some success. I am not an expert reviewer, but the best equivalent I can draw is to Elantris. More than a few friends of mine who have started the Cosmere with Mistborn or Stormlight Archive have found Elantris to be a bit out of place given the quality of the more recent series. Dragonsteel Prime has that same issue. The pacing can be a bit off. There are big ideas and areas to explore that we only get a taste of. There are also deeply familiar characters, and a certain attention to detail in the world-building that you only get from Brandon Sanderson.

By the time I finished the book, I wasn’t upset I read it, but I wasn’t disappointed that we wouldn’t be seeing this particular storyline play out. Not bad, but not something I would build a website around.

Is Dragonsteel Prime Secret Project #5

No. Emberdark and Dragonsteel Prime have some similarities; they both take place on Yolen, Frost is in the mix, and I assume Hoid will be in there somewhere, but they are two different books.

Final thoughts

Dragonsteel Prime isn’t a bad book, it’s a particular book.

My easy yes comes from a place of love for Sanderson's writing, in all of its forms. Yes, you should read it because it shows how he's transformed as an author, and how these stories have transformed in to epic works of literature. Sanderson Curiosities are just that: curious explorations into Sanderson’s other works, made for his dearest fans. 

If that’s you, and you found yourself here, welcome. I write about the Cosmere, the Cosmere RPG, and whatever else I find within Brandon Sanderson’s work that captivates me. You can subscribe to my newsletter for free and get my articles emailed to you, occasionally with extra goodies only for subscribers.