Brandon Sanderson Shares The Series That Got Him Into Fantasy

Published Nov 6, 2026, 7:30 PM EST

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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Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson started his journey with another fantasy icon's book series.

Few modern fantasy writers have been as successful as Brandon Sanderson. He has published over 70 books across genres and hit the milestone of 50 million sold worldwide in December 2025 (via Jabberwocky). His novels have been translated into 35 languages, according to publisher Penguin Random House. He has also influenced many other writers, many of whom he taught as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University. However, Brandon Sanderson was once just like the authors who look up to him.

At the joint Blightfall and Scion launch party with James Islington and Janci Patterson on September 1, 2026, posted to YouTube on November 6, Sanderson said Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books, which fuse sci-fi and fantasy together, first got him into fantasy. They were some of the first books he read when he started loving reading at 14. He considers Dragonriders of Pern deeply underread today because they profoundly influenced the fantasy genre. He would put Lessa, the primary protagonist of Dragonflight, the first book of Dragonriders of Pern, on the imaginary fantasy Mount Rushmore.

Anyone who hasn't read the series yet but wants to understand Sanderson's writing inspirations better needs to read the books. The release party panel isn't the first time Sanderson has explained Anne McCaffrey's impact on him. Beyond sparking his passion for fantasy, Brandon Sanderson sees her as a prime example of a hard magic system. He said he first imagined Hoid, the world-hopper in Cosmere, while reading Anne McCaffrey (via Dragonsteel). He imagined Hoid disguising himself and hiding in the world of Pern.

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Brandon Sanderson also told Dark Matter Zine took inspiration from her when it comes to jumping hundreds of years in sequels, a cornerstone of McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern and Sanderson’s Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive. He says in an interview with Before We Go Blog that she’s one of the authors who taught him how to write female characters. He explained, "I always want to be writing books that, if Anne McCaffrey were to read them, she’d be like, 'Alright, you’re allowed to say my name as one of your inspirations, Brandon.'"

Throughout her career, Anne McCaffrey consistently stated that Pern was sci-fi, not fantasy. However, Brandon Sanderson said in the panel at the launch that things can be both genres, and he considers Dragonriders of Pern an example.

Clearly, Sanderson deeply respects the author as both the progenitor of his love of fantasy and a literary inspiration. Anne McCaffrey’s profound influence on Brandon Sanderson mirrors her impact on Rebecca Yarros, Christopher Paolini, and Naomi Novik. For those unfamiliar, the Dragonriders of Pern series created the blueprint for dragon books, pioneering elements like the telepathic human-dragon bond and the color-coded hierarchy. Ultimately, McCaffrey may not consider herself a fantasy writer, but her ability to influence the genre's most popular authors is one of the many reasons she'll remain one of the all-time greats in fantasy.