Brandon Sanderson Just Hit A Record Milestone With Blightfall
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Brandon Sanderson has reached a new career milestone with Blightfall, the science-fiction novel he co-wrote with Janci Patterson. The audiobook has landed on The New York Times’ Young Adult Audio bestseller list, marking Sanderson’s first appearance on the newspaper’s audio chart. It adds a new format to a bestseller career associated with major print releases and a substantial backlist of fantasy and science-fiction titles.
Released September 1, 2026, by Listening Library, the unabridged recording runs 12 hours and 41 minutes and features narrators Eddie Lopez and Suzy Jackson. The story also arrived in hardcover and ebook formats, with the print edition spanning 496 pages. Published by Delacorte Press, the book’s audio recognition via Brandon Sanderson's YouTube channel comes just weeks after publication, putting a spotlight on its early reach among listeners.
Blightfall Brings Skyward Flight Into A New Mission
The Blightfall audiobook is available to purchase now through this link
Blightfall launches the Riftwake trilogy and returns readers to Sanderson’s Skyward universe, with Janci Patterson as co-author. The story follows Arturo Mendez, the leader of Skyward Flight, after humanity’s long war against alien oppressors ends. His first postwar assignment sends the pilots alongside diplomats to contact human settlements that were cut off during the conflict, opening a new chapter for the team.
The mission quickly turns dangerous on Blightfall, a hostile planet where immense invasive forests have overtaken much of the landscape and mysterious debris surrounds the world. Arturo’s team comes under attack, then discovers the isolated settlement is not what it first appears to be. The pilots must find allies and uncover hidden truths before they can escape the dangerous world, as humanity adjusts to an uneasy peace.
That combination of familiar franchise connections and a fresh setting gives the audiobook a clear entry point for returning Skyward readers while adding a new chapter to the series’ wider world. The publisher positions the novel for readers aged 12 and up, and the audio edition includes a downloadable PDF of illustrations. It is designed for listeners as well as print readers.
Why The Audio Bestseller Milestone Matters
Sanderson has appeared on The New York Times bestseller lists many times, but Blightfall’s place on the Young Adult Audio list marks a first for his audio-chart history. That makes the achievement distinct from a traditional print bestseller placement: it highlights the audience choosing to experience this particular science-fiction adventure through a spoken-word edition rather than only in print.
His literary agency also lists Blightfall as a No. 2 New York Times bestseller and a No. 10 New York Times Audio bestseller. Those chart results show the book reaching readers in print and audio, though the Young Adult Audio placement is the notable first. Together, the listings make the launch a significant early success for Sanderson and Patterson’s new series.
The milestone also fits the scale of Sanderson’s broader publishing career. Penguin Random House says his books have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and appeared in 35 languages, spanning The Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, and Skyward. Blightfall extends that catalogue with a new young-adult science-fiction trilogy, and its audio debut shows that Brandon Sanderson's readership is meeting the story in more than one format.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.