Brandon Sanderson Meets Grimdark In Westworld: A 4-Season Dystopian Masterpiece

Published Sep 12, 2026, 6:52 PM EDT

Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.

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In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18.

Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity.

One masterpiece dystopian TV show feels like the perfect combination of Brandon Sanderson's narrative style and grimdark elements. Sanderson is one of the biggest-name modern writers. The Cosmere is such a popular book universe that Apple TV picked up the rights to adapt stories within it. While he’s best known for writing epic fantasy books, he has also created stories and series within science fiction and, to a certain extent, dystopian writing.

Oftentimes, two or more of these genres blend together. This leads to series like Mistborn Era 1, The Reckoners, and Skyward. Each of these sci-fi or fantasy books has strong dystopian elements. However, Brandon Sanderson hasn’t actually gone full-on dystopia, nor has he created a grimdark story.

That being said, there are stories, both onscreen and off, that resemble Brandon Sanderson’s writing while also diving into much darker places. Lev Grossman's The Magicians Trilogy is a perfect example, mirroring Sanderson's hard magic systems. An animated example is Attack on Titan, with its mind-bending lore. However, one of the best live-action examples is Westworld, which will appeal to Brandon Sanderson fans who want a darker, grittier edge to their entertainment.

Westworld Features Rules-Based Worldbuilding & A Sanderson Avalanche

In a dystopian world, rich people can pay to come to an amusement park where they act out their darkest impulses, raping and murdering AI hosts without any consequences. Seasons 1 and 2 focus on the humans’ dominance over the AIs and the goings-on at the various amusement parks. Then, season 2 switches the perspective to outside the amusement parks.

While the worldbuilding isn’t quite as rigorous as Brandon Sanderson’s, Westworld does take a very rules-based approach when creating a setting, even if we don’t know what all those rules are. Of course, this deviates from Sanderson’s writing, which clearly lays out these rules for readers. The AI programming creates clear limitations for what the hosts can and cannot do. This carries over into the outside world, which I will keep vague to avoid spoiling the TV show for those who haven't watched it yet.

However, one undeniable similarity between Westworld and Brandon Sanderson’s writings is the use of the Sanderlanche. The Sanderson Avalanche, or Sanderlanche, is a story that starts as a slow burn and leads to a massive, fast-paced ending where all the pieces of the puzzle suddenly click together. Westworld contains this signature Brandon Sanderson element. The first two-thirds of seasons 1 and 2 are each slow-burn, providing the puzzle pieces. Then, in the last one-third of the story, the pacing switches from slow to propulsive, rushing to an explosive climax.

Westworld’s Brandon Sanderson similarities even extend to less unique aspects. Westworld contains Western visuals with a dystopian society. This very much mirrors Mistborn’s Wax and Wayne era. Also, Westworld starts in one setting, then expands into multiple interconnected parks and the wider world. This is similar to The Cosmere’s structure, where books primarily exist in their own world, but they also connect to the wider fantasy universe.

Westworld Is More Grimdark Than Brandon Sanderson’s Stories

Image via MovieStillsDB

As discussed, Westworld and Brandon Sanderson’s books share many core traits. However, a stark difference exists in the tone of the pieces of media. Even though Brandon Sanderson frequently features totalitarianism and fascist regimes with dystopian elements in his books, his stories have a tone of hope. They are told from a humanistic perspective. Westworld isn’t nearly as optimistic about the nature of humanity. The whole show presents the idea that, when left to their own devices, humans will default to inhumanity and violence.

The show breaks down the idea of good guys and bad guys. This is another place where Westworld and Brandon Sanderson greatly diverge. In the author’s books, characters enforce their morals in challenging situations to the best of their abilities. There are moments where they falter or act out of emotional impulse, because they’re people. However, few characters are truly morally gray. In contrast, nearly everyone in Westworld is morally gray. Even the characters we’re supposed to root for have done heinous things. This is just another representation of the idea that people, and AI hosts by extension, are inherently selfish and cruel.